There Are Stars In Your Eyes
by Magicalwardrobe
Summary: Walburga Black hadn't expected yet another pregnancy so late in life. Sirius and Regulus loved their sister to death anyway.
1. Newcomer

**Man, I'm on **_**fire**_** today.**

**So, this is a story that has been running though my head and collecting dust in an empty folder for a long while. Finally I went: what the heck? And I've decided to post it.**

**I like Sirius a lot and I like Regulus, too. And Tonks and Andromeda and just the whole Black family, actually. And I love writing OC's because I think they bring a new perspective to the story. And I'm more comfortable writing them than canon characters because I always feel I'm writing them wrong.**

**(Funnily enough, this whole first chapter is mostly in the POV of canon characters).**

**So… it natural that I ended up writing a Black!OC someday sooner or later.**

**Enjoy it!**

**Newcomer.**

It is a known fact that wizards live a lot longer than ordinary _muggles_. They age slower than them and it can be over eighty years before one starts looking really old.

But still, a pregnancy at almost forty-seven was a bit too much for Walburga Black.

Sure, it was a bit of a boost for her ego. She was still fertile, still young in the eyes of society.

And, since the rumours had spread all through the higher circles of the pureblood society before she even stepped one foot out of San Mungo's with the news, she couldn't get rid of the baby. It would cause a lot of talk. More than it was already happening.

So the baby was happening.

Walburga wasn't the first woman to have a baby at such an "advanced" age (she had glared at the healer when he had dared to utter that dreadful word). Even there had been some cases with _muggle_ women. And being a witch there should be a lot less risk during her pregnancy than the ones of those women.

But that didn't mean she was happy about it. She had already had more than enough with her two other pregnancies (when she was on her thirties) to enjoy a repeat.

They told the boys the next night. Orion had calmly sprouted the news at dinner and Sirius Orion, her eldest, had almost chocked on his potato.

He had been understandingly repulsed by the thought. After all, at eleven, he already knew where babies came from and was very repulsed to learn that his parents were still doing it. Bellatrix was a very bad influence on her son, Walburga thought.

Regulus Arcturus had been happy for the first few seconds until confusion kicked in. He had turned ten only some weeks ago and had yet to be corrupted by the educative talks of his eldest cousins. She dreaded to think how he would fare at Hogwarts.

(His brother was quick to explain him the concept that night in his room. Orion had been very amused at his youngest son's expression of utter disgust at breakfast next morning).

.

.

Orion envied his eldest son, as he spent the worst months of his mother's pregnancy hiding away in the big castle in the hills of Scotland. Regulus also spent most of the time hiding or looking for excuses not to be around his mother.

His cousins took pity on him and invited him to stay in their home for a while. Regulus was desperate enough to accept.

Meanwhile he was suffering the pregnancy as if he was the one with the baby inside.

He was sure Walburga hadn't been so unbearable on her earliest pregnancies. If he had known this would happen he would have stayed far away from her in bed.

On a late January night at last his new offspring was born. Walburga had refused to go to the hospital like 'all those common women' and so she had an army of midwives fluttering around in her room the moment the first contraction hit.

One of the youngest midwives, barely out of the program herself, carried the baby to her father's arms.

"We almost lost them both," she said. "But I managed to convince the others to use a _muggle_ method that saved them," her expression was sheepish. "I know how your wife is about these things but could you maybe keep it to yourself? I'm just telling you because I know Healer Burke will want to tell you later and I don't want you to freak out."

And then she deposited the baby ("it's a girl, sir") in his arms and Orion couldn't be mad at her. The sigh of his daughter cute button nose melted his heart.

"Don't worry," he looked up at the young woman. "I won't breathe a word."

The girl grinned with relief. "Great! Now I have to help stitch up your wife before she wakes up!"

His eyebrows rose at the word 'stitch' and the woman merely shrugged with a soft blush on her cheeks. "It looks like I owe you a debt for saving both my wife's and my daughter's life," he said. "What's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Dahlia Blishwick," her eyes were wide. "But you don't owe me anything. I was just doing my job, sir."

Orion nodded once but he mentally took note of the name: Dahlia Blishwick. He would remember that.

.

.

"It's almost weird for you to get a letter from your family that is not a howler," noted James Potter eyeing the piece of paper with curiosity.

"What does it say?" wondered Peter Pettigrew.

Remus Lupin shushed them both. "Maybe if you let him read it he'll tell us."

The letter wasn't that long, only a few sentences, and Sirius was quick to read them. Slowly his lips curled into a small smile that had his friends looking worried.

"He must have gone crazy," Peter muttered. After all they all knew Sirius' relationships with his family were strained at best and didn't understand how a letter would make him smile.

"Maybe his mother is dead?" James suggested gaining an elbow to the ribs courtesy of Remus.

After a few more seconds of silence, James prompted the other boy with a kick to the shin. Sirius glared at him.

"So?" Peter asked. "What does it say?"

Sirius grinned again. "I have a little sister," he said. "Which is great because now I have won a bet with Reg," at Remus deadpan expression he quickly added: "And I'm happy to have a sister, you know? Because sisters are nice and stuff."

Remus sniggered. "«Because sisters and nice and stuff»" he repeated. "I am so going to write that on your grave."

"Now you're already killing me off?"

James grinned. "Well… there are some days…"

Sirius threw a spoonful of cereal soggy with milk at James' glasses.

.

.

The first time Regulus saw his little sister on his first winter break from Hogwarts she wasn't so little anymore. Almost a year old she was a pudgy… thing with huge grey-blue eyes, a tuft of black hair and the happiest smile always on her face.

Little Cassiopeia, although Sirius had taken to calling her Cassia, was the happiest baby Regulus had ever seen. She was always laughing at the silly faces he made (a pretty contagious laugh) or, otherwise, smiling. She hardly cried, though Kreacher was there if it happened, and loved to be picked up.

As it seemed she was the un-Black-iest baby he had ever seen.

Maybe it was just because she was a baby, but from his mother's frown he knew neither he nor Sirius had been such happy toddlers.

But Regulus loved little Cassia more than he loved anything in life. He loved how she gurgled at him with her arms wide open asking for him to pick her up. And how she smiled at the sight of him and laughed when he tickled her belly.

Regulus often wondered how something so small could change one's life that much.

When Sirius got into Gryffindor he knew a huge rift in the family had been made. And his suspicions were confirmed when he came home with thousands of tales of _James_ and _Remus_ and _Peter_. He could see Sirius drifting away from him and it only deepened when he got sorted into Slytherin.

_How dare he look disappointed_? _He_ was the one not to stick into tradition! _Regulus_ should be the one to be disappointed.

But Sirius looked at him with disappointment and pity when he went to sit with his new house. Like he had done something wrong. As if Regulus had… deceived him.

But with Cassia… with Cassia he had a new chance. He would start over without making the same mistakes. He would love her unconditionally, no matter where she ended up.

He wouldn't let Houses ruin that relationship, too.

Cassia cooed at him from her crib and Regulus smiled softly. "Hey, do you want to play?"

No, he wouldn't mess it up this time.

.

.

Sirius was sick of his family. He was sick of the judgemental stares and his mother's scoffs. He was sick of the pureblood propaganda and the way her mother looked down at him.

As if he was less for thinking of _muggleborns_ as equals.

As if he was _wrong_.

The only thing that kept him tethered to that horrible house was his sister. His sweet, innocent and kind little sister with wide open eyes and a heart bigger than the world.

Everything went to hell the summer after his fifth year, over dinner one evening.

"Siri, Siri," Cassia tugged on his sleeve. "Sit with me," she begged.

"How can I refuse?" Sirius grinned at her and tried not to feel anything at Regulus betrayed expression. Cassia was _his_ sister, too, and he loved her with all his soul.

Cassia looked up at him. "Read me a bedtime story?" she asked.

"After dinner, little star," he conceded.

And she smiled at him, little dimples appearing on her cheeks and making his heart melt.

But then their mother had to intervene and bring the matter of blood purity to the table. She said she was worried about what Sirius might be teaching her and didn't want him to lead her astray.

And that was when Sirius finally snapped: the previous weeks, hell, even the previous years, becoming far too much for him.

So Sirius screamed and his mother screeched back. Their father shouted at them both while Regulus tried to take Cassia to a safe place. Walburga got out her wand and started firing curses at her eldest son while exclaiming he was only «just like the rest of them».

And so Sirius stormed off the house with only his wand on his hand and a handful of coins on his back pocket. He hailed the Knight Bus and disappeared in the night to never look back.

A couple of weeks later an owl knocked on Regulus window in the middle of the night. It carried a small package for Cassia and a short note asking Regulus to give it to her.

Despite the bitterness he felt for his brother, Regulus conceded.

.

.

Dahlia Blishwick was twenty-six when Orion Black asked her to tutor his daughter, the one she had helped bring to the world over four years earlier.

"Mr. Talbot," he said. "my sons tutor, died last year and Walburga says it would be best if Cassiopeia has a woman as a governess."

"But," Dahlia was at a loss on what to say. You do not say 'no' to the Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Black. "I already have a job, sir," she said politely. "And aren't I too young? I think maybe you should be looking for someone older, more experienced in these things."

But Orion Black just shook his head. "I think you can teach my daughter a lot more than those old ladies ever could. You've gotten far on your own, haven't you?" he said. "I think my daughter will need that in the years to come."

"But my job…"

Orion Black sighed. "Look, we'll pay you the double if you want. You don't even have to be all day with her, just some mornings or afternoons, whatever you choose. Teach her how to read, write, some maths and the way the world works as unbiasedly as possible."

Dahlia stared at him open mouthed.

"I have a son on either side of the war," he said with a tired smile. "I know only one of them will come out of this alive. I'd like my daughter to be able to make the best choice; not because of what her family says, but because it's what she believes in. I want her to be able to make the right decision and stick with it," he waved his hand in her direction. "Your family is still pure-blood, even if you've fallen a little since the old days, but it will be enough to content my wife. So," he straightened in the chair of the hospital cafeteria. "What do you say?"

Dahlia had been given a choice. To help a little girl make the best of her life.

"I guess I'll have to talk with my boss."

And that was how she found herself as the new tutor of the youngest Black child.

.

.

When Cassia turned six she got lots of presents, like all her birthdays before, but only one she treasured greatly. It was a well-read copy of Miss Dahlia's favourite book when she was a child: Her Handsome Hero.

Miss Dahlia had read most of it to her in their classes, or had made her read it. It told the tales of a brave hero named Gideon and in its pages was underlined the importance of compassion, kindness and forgiveness.

Cassia hadn't known it at that time, but that book probably saved her life.

Miss Dahlia was a nice lady and Cassia liked her very much. Her lessons were fun and she learnt a lot. Miss Dahlia liked to tell stories about her job or books she had read. She told her about her girlfriend –a _muggle_ teacher– and made her promise to keep the secret.

Mrs. Pyrites wasn't such a nice lady. She taught her manners, politics, dancing, how to play the piano and French. She smelled _old_ and would pinch her arm with her nails when she thought Cassia was doing something wrong.

And for Mrs. Pyrites Cassia even _breathed _wrong.

"You don't want the whole room to know when you're inhaling and exhaling. Keep it to yourself. Short breaths for ladies."

No, Cassia didn't like Mrs. Pyrites at all.

But the book wasn't the only gift Cassia loved. Even if her brothers were at Hogwarts they both had sent owls with their gifts (Sirius' sneaking in the middle of the night so her parents wouldn't notice).

Regulus had bought her almost half a year's supply of Sugar Quills, Cassia's favourite food in the whole wide world, that had her running the house on a sugar high almost each night for the next months.

Sirius, on the other hand, had woken her up the second the clock had struck twelve, thanks to the magic mirror he had given her once he left home. He had another one that connected the pair and they could keep in contact, for Sirius refused to be cut out from his sister's life and leave her to perish with his family. His three friends had joined him on his rendition of _Happy Birthday_ to his sister that got the desired result: make her laugh.

Since he also knew she liked books about adventure he had also gifted her one copy of a _muggle_ book «the Evans girl» had highly recommended; _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe_.

Cassia had loved it and she hid it under her mattress next to _Her Handsome Hero_. Although she was sure Kreacher, who was the only one allowed in her room, didn't care much for books.

Which was a shame because Cassia knew how great books were.

.

.

Regulus was trying to teach his sister how to play chess when his whole world came to a halt. It was a hot July afternoon and they were on the playing room, with some cooling charms to make it bearable.

"And Father was _so_ happy I could finally block him out we went out for dinner at The Siren's Song just the two of us," Cassia leaned in and whispered the next part. "He even let me eat the chop _with my hands_!"

Regulus widened his eyes in mock surprise. "He _did_?"

"Yes!" the seven-year-old was unaware of her brother's teasing. "Kreek wasn't very happy when he saw the dress he had to clean, though," she added looking down at the chessboard with shame.

Regulus lips twitched. "I bet he wouldn't. Did he start muttering to himself?"

She grinned. "He did! He got quiet and all red and everything when I told him I was sorry he had to work more because of me," her eyes twinkled. "He always does," she pressed her lips together deep in thought. "Where is he, by the way? He usually likes to sit with us when Mother and Father aren't home."

And Regulus didn't blame him. They were, after all, the only ones who treated Kreacher like a living being. It made him feel angry.

"He's doing some things for… a friend of mine," Regulus stated carefully.

Regulus had joined the Death Eaters two years ago, feeling bold and proud of his choice. But his determination started to fade when he realized what kind of things his new friends were into. He started to feel trapped and the shame grew each time he was sent on a mission for those… people. And he didn't want Cassia knowing any of that.

Cassia's face fell. "Oh… And how long will he be gone?" her eyes light up again. "I don't want to see Mother's face if we make a mess in the kitchen trying to make dinner," she paused. "Do you _know _how to cook?" she asked with curiosity.

But Regulus had stopped listening and instead looked at her with a worried frown on his face. "He probably should already have been back," he said. "The Dark- My friend said it wouldn't take long."

Cassia felt a bubble of worry deep in her stomach. "Kreacher!" she called. "Kreacher come here!"

And the house elf appeared with a loud crack. He was wet and shivering. He laid curled into a ball on the floor, his hands pressed over his ears and muttering apologies and pleas to himself.

Regulus heart plummeted. "Cassia, go to your room!" he ordered.

"No!" the child fell to her knees and carefully touched Kreacher's knee. "Kreek," she said softly. "Kreek, you're safe here, you can stop that."

The elf stilled immediately and didn't move. Cassia clearly panicked and she started shaking him. When Regulus caught her in his own arms to get her away from Kreacher she started trashing and screaming.

"Cassiopeia!" shouted Regulus. "Stop this! This isn't helping anyone!"

"Let me go!" she screeched. "Can't you see that he's in pain?"

Regulus held her tighter. "Kreacher," he said. "Please, breathe and tell us what happened."

And the elf obeyed.

.

.

Kreacher was a good elf, yes he was. He obeyed the rules, didn't disrespect the Masters (except Master Sirius –oh, Mistress was so happy to see him go) and took care of the house and its inhabitants.

It was his job, what he was born to do.

But now... now Master Regulus wanted to take him back to the Horrible Cove and Kreacher was scared. He didn't like the Horrible Cove and the Dreadful Potion... Kreacher didn't want to drink it again.

Master Regulus had come to Kreacher's cupboard in the middle of the night and ordered Kreacher to get ready to take him to that cove. Kreacher knew all Blacks liked their sleep and no one would catch them getting out of the house because the Masters were all sleeping deeply.

So Kreacher wasn't expecting little Mistress Cassiopeia to be waiting for him and Master Regulus at the bottom of the stairs.

"Cassia!" Master Regulus exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Mistress Cassiopeia puffed her cheeks. "I'm coming with you," she stated.

Both Masters started to argue while Kreacher stared silently. In the end they glared at each other for a few moments until Mistress Cassiopeia, at last, relented.

"But you have to take this," she said giving them one of Mistress Walburga biggest handbags.

Master Regulus peered inside the bag and his lips twitched with amusement. "We aren't going camping, you know?" He reached inside the bag. "And what is this?" On his hand was a glass bottle of dark brown liquid.

Mistress Cassiopeia flushed. "It's a _muggle_ drink," she said. "Miss Dahlia gets it for me. Sometimes... I just thought maybe you wouldn't feel like water so I grabbed both," and she seemed very proud by her occurrence.

Mister Regulus decided to humour his little sister and put the muggle drink back in the bag. "But you're staying here," he said. "Go back to sleep," he suggested.

Mistress Cassiopeia stared at him like he was a madman and Master Regulus snorted.

"Alright," he crouched and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you later. Come on, Kreacher. Take me to the cave!"

And Kreacher did.

Kreacher was shivering and trembling the whole time Master Regulus passed through the protections. Kreacher clutched at the sides of the boat so hard his knuckles turned grey and when he saw the pillar where he knew the Dreadful Potion was he almost passed out.

Kreacher was readying himself for another dose of the Dreadful Potion when Master Regulus spoke.

"Kreacher, I want you to make me drink the potion. Make me drink it no matter what I tell you and then... then grab the Hor-the locket and put this one instead," he deposited a nearly identical locket in the elf's fragile hands. "Then fill it again with the same potion and go back home and destroy the locket. Alright?"

Kreacher didn't want to do that. "Master Regulus..."

"I said 'alright?'! I'm ordering you, Kreacher!"

Kreacher would have never said he'd ever hate being such a good elf.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**What did you think? If you have any questions I'll answer them (unless, you know, it's a really big spoiler that I don't want to share).**

**Leave a review with your opinion!**

**MW98.**


	2. Regulus

**So here we go, the second chapter. **

**Or 'in which Voldemort is not aware of the power of **_**Coca-Cola**_**.'**

**I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter. Oooopps.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters aren't mine. The only thing that belongs to me is Cassia.**

**Regulus.**

Cassia usually was a patient child. Usually.

She wasn't so patient when the people she loved were in danger.

Her mother caught her dozing off against the wall of the stars in the early morning and her screeching woke her up for the rest of the day. Mother sent her to her father on his study and Father gave her some biscuits and a glass of warm milk.

But Cassia refused to talk. And when she felt her father trying to enter her mind like he did during their Occlumany lessons, she tensed up and started thinking of the newest Celestina Warbeck song.

Her father made a face and backed off. He hated Celestina Warbeck's music with passion. He was curious but couldn't help but feel very proud at his daughter accomplishment.

"I see you don't want to talk about this," he noted.

Cassia happily shook her head.

"Does it have to do with why Kreacher isn't anywhere to be seen?"

Cassia tensed and shook her head less convincingly. Her father didn't fall for it.

"Does it have to do with Regulus?" he asked. "He's missing, too," he said. "And I usually wouldn't give it much thought, but with everything that is going on…"

Cassia raised her head and in her eyes Orion could read her worry and anguish. He sighed and rubbed his face.

"If he's in trouble you have to tell me, Cassiopeia," he said. "I can help him."

Cassia just shook her head again. Her lips were pressed together tightly, as if that would help her not to spill the secret. And her father knew she was stubborn enough.

Luckily for them at that same moment Kreacher and Regulus appeared right in the middle of the study. Regulus was deathly pale and shivering, his grey eyes wide with fright.

"Regulus!" Orion jumped on his feet and rushed towards his son.

Cassia wasn't far behind. "Reg! Reg! Kreek! What happened?"

"Son! Son, are you alright?" their father was frenetic.

"Wa-water," gasped Regulus. "Water."

Kreacher, who was as pale as his Master, disappeared with a crack and reappeared seconds later with five big jugs full of fresh water. Regulus threw himself at the nearest jug and started drinking sloppily.

They all waited patiently while Regulus drank four of the jars, getting almost as many water on his robes, and then looked at them breathing heavily.

"What happened?" asked Cassia with a small voice.

Regulus focused his eyes on her, drinking her in. "Kreacher took me to the cave," he whispered. "And everything was like he said it was… I ordered him to make me drink the potion and it made me see the most terrible things," he shivered and his eyes filled with tears. "I-I finished it and then Kreacher swapped the lockets. And then I started to feel so _thirsty_…" his gaze unfocused and it seemed like he was unable to say anything else.

Cassia then turned to the house-elf. "Kreek?"

"Master Regulus started heading into the lake," he said. "Like Kreacher had done all those days ago. But Kreacher knew that if Master Regulus went into the water then Master Regulus would never come back. And then Kreacher remembered Mistress Cassiopeia's bag. The water was gone but Mistress Cassiopeia's strange drink was still there. So Kreacher gave it to Master Regulus. And Master Regulus drank it."

Regulus finally raised his head. "It helped me think straight," he said. "And so I told Kreacher to apparate us here."

Orion, who had been calmly listening to the whole explanation kneeling on the floor, stood up and walked to sit behind his desk once again. "Cassiopeia, go to your room."

Cassia's eyes widened. "What? No!" the little girl crossed her arms. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to know what happened to Regulus."

Her father's face was stern. "Cassiopeia, you don't need to hear this. Now go to your room. Mrs. Pyrites is going to be here soon."

The chandelier clinked and the candles tittered for some seconds. And then Cassia clenched her teeth and stormed off the room.

Orion looked at his youngest son and gestured him to have a seat. "Now tell me," he said. "What is this locket you're talking about?"

.

.

Regulus recovered quickly and tried to make it seem like nothing had happened. But Cassia knew better. She knew her father and her brother were trying to hide something from her and even Kreacher refused to talk.

And Cassia could see the fear in Regulus eyes when he thought nobody was watching, and the dark circles under his eyes, the tremor on his hands and how he didn't seem to eat anymore.

But they still refused to tell her anything.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"Are you sure she can do this?" Regulus asked his father. "Won't it be too dangerous?"

Cassia looked away from the library and turned to glare at her brother. "I'm seven years old!" she reminded him proudly. "I can do this!"

"Nobody will think we made her the Secret Keeper," said Orion. "I doubt they will even believe it possible. And from what you've told me of your Dark Lord… he has the habit of underestimating people. This will work. Trust me."

Regulus didn't seem all that convinced. "I just don't want them going after her and…" he shivered at the tortures his mind conjured up.

"Do you think I'll let them get her?" Orion looked even amused. "And she's a Black, after all. They won't hurt her."

Regulus nodded to himself. "Alright. Let's do this."

Both wizards got out their wands and Cassia walked to stand at Regulus side. Orion looked at the determination in both of his children's faces and he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

"This spell is really difficult and it's very important you do everything right," Orion's voice was concerned. "Do you remember all the steps?"

Cassia nodded. "Yes. We've been practicing for _ages_."

Regulus steeled himself. "We're ready, Father," he said.

Orion breathed in deeply. "Alright. Let's cast the _Fidelius_," he said. "I will talk you through it."

.

.

Cassia's eyelids were dropping by the time the spell was finished, designating her the Secret Keeper of her brother's new home right by the sea. From her Father's suddenly confused expression as he looked around, Cassia guessed it had worked.

She whispered him the address and her Father's eyes cleared. He smiled at Regulus, suddenly visible to him, and tugged his daughter in a hug, feeling immensely proud.

"Alright, now it's done," said Orion. "You have to keep it a secret from everyone," he reminded Cassia.

She looked at him solemnly. "I will, Father."

And for one second Orion regretted making his daughter grow up so fast just like that. Her grey eyes were old and sad and he wished he hadn't needed to make them that way.

But then she beamed and the childhood came back rushing to her face. "Can I see the house? Can I paint my room? Can I make it _lavender_?"

Regulus and Orion shared a look and they let out a small laugh, relieved.

"Of course you can," Regulus told her. "You can help me paint your room if you want. And buy some things for the kitchen."

Cassia laughed. "Like you know how to cook."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"What's an Horcrux?"

Regulus concentration faltered and the big pot he was floating in front of him dropped to the floor, spilling most of the stew. "W-where did you hear that?"

Cassia looked at her feet. "I heard you," she confessed. "When you were talking with Father," she looked up, curious. "What is it?"

Regulus sighed and with a wave of his wand made the ruined dinner disappear. "That's not something you should know."

"Come on!" Cassia huffed. "It's not like I could tell anybody. Pleaaase? I just want to know," she narrowed her eyes. "I can always ask Sirius…"

Regulus sat on the chair next to his sister. "Do not tell Sirius anything of what I'm about to tell you, alright?"

"I promise."

Regulus regarded her for some seconds. "A Horcrux is dark magic, _very_ dark magic. When you kill somebody your soul breaks a little and you can get a part of your soul and put it inside an object," he explained. "That way even if they kill you, you'll still be alive –somewhat– and won't really die."

Cassia furrowed her brows. "But you have to _kill someone_?" she asked appalled.

Regulus was strangely relieved to see her so disgusted. "That's why it's dark magic," he wasn't going to enter in the logistics of the ritual that _really_ made the Horcruxes. "Do you know my friend I told you about some time ago? Well, he is a bad man, a really bad one. And he has killed lots of people."

Cassia's eyes widened. "So he has lots of Ho'cruxs?"

"He does. At first I thought it was only one, the one Kreacher and I got from the cove. The locket. But Father believes otherwise."

She wrinkled her nose. "But you are going to get them all, right?" her eyes were hopeful. "And he will stop killing people."

Regulus could tell her that it wasn't that easy, that they didn't know how many Horcruxes were out there, or even _what_ they were and that it was a really dangerous job with the Dark Lord and its followers lurking. But he didn't want to see the admiration and hope fade from her eyes.

So he smiled instead. "Of course," he said.

Cassia nodded and then looked at him thoughtfully. "What's an orgasm?"

"Merlin's balls!"

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia stabbed the notebook Miss Dahlia had bought her with the quill. A couple of the carefully written calculations she had to resolve got stained with ink and she groaned.

"What did that quill ever do to you?" Orion looked up from his own parchments with an amused smile.

They were both on the study, Walburga was out on the Diagon Alley, shopping, and Kreacher was on his weekly cleaning visit to Regulus cottage. And so Orion had told his daughter to do her homework with him and they both worked on silence.

"It's not that," Cassia looked at him. "It's just that… today Mrs. Pyrites was trying to teach me a new dance. She said it was very easy but I… I didn't get it and she said I was a stupid child."

Orion's eyes flashed. "She did?" he put the quill back on the inkwell. "What dance were you learning?"

"The waltz?" Cassia scrunched her nose. "She said it was really easy and I shouldn't have so many problems."

"Well, that's probably because she didn't know how to lead," and his eyes were mischievous for a second. "Would you like me to teach you?"

Cassia's eyes widened and she grinned at him. "If you don't mind…"

Orion walked to the middle of the room and, with a wave of his wand he made the furniture move to the sides of the room. That left a big space to move around without crashing with something.

"First," said Orion. "We need some music."

There was an old gramophone in one of the corners of the room and it started to play a soft melody with violins and pianos and a whole orchestra when Orion pointed at it with his wand. Then he grinned at his daughter and extended his hands.

"You have to put your left hand on my shoulder and grab my left one with your right."

Cassia obeyed but her left arm was too short. "I can't reach your shoulder," she huffed.

Orion looked at the frustrated eyes of his daughter and decided to forego all propriety and just have some fun instead. He remembered a ball years ago, when he saw Mr. Fawley dancing with one of his daughters. It had caused a lot of talks even in the following days, but he remembered the carefree laughs of the little girl.

"Stand on my toes," he said.

Cassia blinked. "What?"

"Stand on my toes," he repeated. "I'll dance and you'll dance with me."

Cassia obeyed reluctantly but a small smile curved her lips when he started to move and she had to hold on tight. Her father saw it and then started to glide around the room energetically with the little girl clinging to him.

After a fast twirl Cassia started to laugh, which was what Orion had wanted since the beginning, and his heart soared.

"Mrs. Pyrites didn't teach you like this, did she?"

Cassia giggled and hid her face on her father's chest. "No!" her voice, muffled on his coat, shook with laughter.

"Good."

.

.

"And spin!" Orion grabbed her daughter's hand high and made her twirl several times.

Cassia's giggles filled the room as both father and daughter moved gracefully through the room. Orion had started teaching the correct waltz but he couldn't help but mess around a bit to make her laugh.

His sons, mostly Sirius, had to get their mischief from someone. And it certainly wasn't Walburga.

Cassia saw her father frown and their dance stopped. "Father, what's wrong?"

"Someone is here," he said. "And it's not your mother."

Cassia's face light up. "It's Regulus?"

He shook his head. "I think it's one of your cousins, but she doesn't come alone."

The little girl made a face. Bellatrix and Narcissa were far to grown up for her and they still treated her like she was _four_. So Cassia wasn't very fond of them.

"What is she doing here? Doesn't she know Mother is out?"

Orion's face hardened. "I think that's why she's here," he said darkly. "Quick, hide in the window!" he ordered.

Cassia blinked. "_What_?"

Her father grabbed her shoulder and dragged her to the big bay window looking over the _muggle_ neighbourhood. He patted the window seat where Cassia usually liked to spend her time when she was in the study, and looked at her with urgency.

"Father, I don't understand," said Cassia.

"Just get inside," he begged. "Please."

Cassia obeyed, still rather loss, and dropped her head against the cool glass. She raised her knees to her chest and hugged them. "Father…"

But Orion had already untied the laces holding back the curtains and was already closing them.

"Father!"

"Cassiopeia," Orion let go of the curtains and crouched so he was eye to eye with her. "I need you to stay really quiet, alright? And don't come out, no matter what you might see and no matter what you hear. Can you promise me that?"

Cassia gulped. "Father…"

"Can you promise me that?" he asked once again, more urgently.

She nodded and he went back to closing the drapes, enclosing her inside. "Daddy," her voice was small. "I'm afraid."

His heart broke a little. "Everything is going to be alright, I promise," he said. "They won't touch you."

And he tugged one last time, leaving her looking at the flowered shroud instead of him. Cassia hugged her knees closer and tried to listen to whatever that was going on outside. The curtain had left a small gap close to Cassia's head from where she could peer out without being seen.

She could see her father sitting back on his chair and tidying the papers he had been working on before their impromptu dance session. Cassia could hear the knock on the door over the soft still playing music.

"Come in," her father said.

It was Bellatrix, proud and tall, with two slender men guarding her back. Bellatrix's eyes took in the room and a wide smile curved her lips.

"Uncle Orion!" she exclaimed happily. "It's so good to see you are home."

Orion's face remained apathetic. "Bella," he said. "What brings you, your husband and young Mr. Lestrange to my house?"

Bella waved him off airily. "Oh! We were in the neighbourhood and I thought I could teach Rod here my uncle's home. Grimmauld Place is quite the magical property, you know? In the middle of a _muggle_ street but with no one to take notice of it."

"Yes, I know," he stated dryly amused.

Bella flushed. "Of course you know!" her fluster seemed fake. "Is Reggie here?" she asked. "Rab wanted to talk with him."

"I'm afraid Regulus is no longer living with us," he said. "He decided he was too old to keep living with his parents and got his own house. But if Mr. Lestrange tells me what he wants him for I can surely pass along the message."

Rabastan Lestrange took in stride. "The Falmouth Falcons are playing against the Tornados this week and I have two tickets for the match. Regulus is a big Tornados fan and I wanted to ask him to come with me."

To Cassia's surprise, her father's smile only tightened at the answer. "Oh, I will tell him when I see him. I'm sure he will want to go," he stood up on this chair. "Now, why don't you let me walk you to the door? Maybe I can even show you around some parts of the house."

And then Bella's façade dropped and she strutted to the big wooden desk, slamming her hands over it. "Let's go to the point," she said coolly. "Where's Regulus? He hasn't been showing up to our meetings in _two _months! The Dark Lord doesn't like to be abandoned. We've been searching for him but we can't locate him and the Dark Lord believes he has cast a Fidelius Charm. And who but you would be the Secret Keeper? So. Where. Is. He?" she punctuated each word with a punch on the wood.

Orion just raised his brow. "And what makes you think I'm going to tell you?"

Bella's eyes narrowed. "If you don't tell me then I'm going to have to make you tell me," she said with her eyes bright.

Cassia would remember the minutes that followed for the rest of her life. The duel was fast-paced and at first it seemed like her father would win with his dark curses, but they were three, younger and quicker than him. So in the end he fell.

His tortured screams rang in Cassia's ears. She hid her face between her knees and put her arms around her head, covering her ears. She counted to ten and tried all the Occlumancy tricks her father had ever taught her to keep herself calm.

And then, after a long while, there was silence.

Cassia's heart pounded on her head and she dared to peek again through the gap.

Her father was clutching the edge of his desk to keep standing. Blood trickled from numerous wounds on his face and under his robes but his gaze was still determined.

"I will not tell you where my son is," Orion said. "And I won't break. So you better be going."

Rodolphus Lestrange huffed on the background. "This old man is useless, he won't say anything," carelessly he raised his wand. "_Avada Kedavra_."

There was a flash of green light and Cassia watched her father drop to the ground. His head was twisted to the side, looking in her direction, but she could see that his eyes were completely empty. She held back the scream rising in her throat but she couldn't help the sniffles.

The curtain ripped open and Cassia was left staring at the dark eyes of a surprised Rabastan Lestrange.

"-dare you? He was a Black!" Bellatrix was berating her husband. "We weren't supposed to kill him!"

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Cassia's fingers dug into her own legs and silent tears ran down her cheeks. The Lestrange man eyed her somewhat impressed and then turned to call at his companions.

"Cassiopeia!" Bellatrix exclaimed surprised.

Rodolphus face was suspicious. "Do you think she knows anything?"

"She's just a kid," scoffed Rabastan.

Bellatrix crouched in front of the window seat. "Hey, Cassie. Do you know where your brother is?"

Cassia shook her head. She wasn't going to tell those monsters the directions to her brother's house so they could kill him, too.

"Are you sure?" pressed Rodolphus.

Rabastan snorted. "What? Do you think _she_'s the Secret Keeper? She's just a child, that's not possible. We're wasting our time here. We don't really know how this _Fidelius_ thing works, maybe _he_ was the Secret Keeper and the secret died with him," he said. "We should report back to the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix sighed. "You're right," she patted Cassia's knees. "What you saw… keep it between us, alright?"

Cassia remained there, staring blankly at the body of her father, long after the visitors had gone. And then she felt a tight knot on her chest and a prickling behind her eyes and she knew she needed someone to hug.

So she ran downstairs and threw herself to the fireplace.

"The Reef!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**So, Regulus is alive (YAAAAY). Orion is not, sadly. And quite traumatically for poor Cassia. Maybe I was a bit too hard on her.**

**Naaah.**

**Anyway, leave a review if you want to! I hope you liked it.**

**MW.**


	3. Ding, Dong, The Dark Lord is dead

**Thank you all for you lovely reviews, really. I love that you all seem to be liking this story. Anyway…**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.**

**Ding, Dong, The Dark Lord Is Dead.**

"What are you going to do now?"

Regulus looked up from the newspaper and blinked at his little sister. They were in the living room of his house, Regulus in the armchair and Cassia sprawled on the sofa. The book she was reading rested against her stomach as she eyed him with curiosity.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The Dark Lord is gone," said Cassia. "So we don't have to hide here anymore, do we?"

Regulus folded the newspaper and sat up straight in the armchair. "I guess? The Dark Lord might be gone but most of his followers are still around."

Since the death of their father Regulus had taken his sister into the protection of his house. He had offered the same deal to his mother, but she had refused to leave society. So they had cut themselves off from the world. Including their mother and Sirius, with whom Cassia had still been talking until then.

The two siblings had spent over two years in the house, almost never leaving. Regulus had taken up most of her education since they couldn't tell Miss Dahlia and Mrs. Pyrites their new location.

"What are you reading now?" he asked trying to divert the conversation.

Cassia was the one in charge of sneaking into the nearest town, a _muggle_ one, and shop while Regulus had, at last, learnt how to cook. Most of Cassia's new books, in fact, came from one of the _muggle_ bookshops. A fact that didn't make Regulus very happy.

Cassia looked down at her book. "The Hobbit," she said. "It's an adventure and fantasy book. There's dwarves and elves and a wizard," she smiled. "It's good."

Regulus pressed his lips together. "It's a _muggle_ one, isn't it?"

Cassia nodded. "Sometimes _muggles_ make the best stories," she said. "When are we going back home?" she added.

"You're not going to give this up, are you?" Regulus sighed.

"I just don't understand why we can't go back home," Cassia pouted. "I miss my bedroom. And Mother and Kreacher,"

Regulus couldn't explain his nine-year-old sister about how he was afraid of going back to that house. How he felt the guilt of their father's death would crush him if he even stepped a foot into the place. How he dreaded their mother's blaming stares and disappointed looks (it was ironic that Sirius had become the man their mother wanted while Regulus, who had been so close, now couldn't be further away).

"There's first a lot of things we have to do," he said. "A lot of people know that I'm a Death Eater and I have to clean my name. We have to add security to the house so nobody can get to us. I even have to get a job!"

Cassia huffed but kept her mouth shut. After a few moments of silence, when Regulus had already gone back to his newspaper, she spoke again.

"Can we get Miss Dahlia back?" she asked vulnerably. "I've missed her."

Regulus face dropped. "Of course we can!" he exclaimed softly. "I'm sure she has missed you too."

And Cassia's smile made going to that wretched place completely worth it.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Some days before her eleventh birthday a big owl landed in the middle of the kitchen table while she was having breakfast.

Mother was already out, doing who knows what at Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy's house. Regulus had only lasted a couple of days in the house before going back to the Reef. He was working as a journalist on the Daily Prophet (though he had plans of starting his own newspaper) and Cassia usually spent the weekends at his place.

Since she was alone she had decided to eat in the kitchen with Kreacher keeping her company. As she did each meal she was left alone.

"An owl!" exclaimed Cassia with excitement. "And here it says it for me!" She bit her lip and looked at the house elf with wide eyes. "Do you think it's my Hogwarts letter?"

Kreacher shrugged. "The Mistress will only know if she opens the letter."

Cassia tore the envelope and squealed when her eyes found the Hogwarts crest. "It is!" she beamed. "It is! It's my Hogwarts letter! I'm going to Hogwarts!" she danced around the room with the letter held up high.

"Congratulations, Little Mistress," the elf told her sounding a little bit sad.

Cassia knelt on the floor to hug him. "Oh, I will miss you, too, Kreek. I almost don't want to go, but Hogwarts…" her voice was yearning.

"What does the Mistress wants to do to celebrate this?"

Her eyes shone. "Can we go to the Alley?"

He hesitated. "The Mistress knows she can't go to the Alley alone."

"I won't be alone, I'll be with you."

He grabbed his ears. "Master Regulus will be so angry if he finds out. And the Mistress… No, Kreacher cannot do this."

"Come on, Kreek," she pouted. "No one else is here and I need to celebrate now. I have all this happiness inside I feel like I'm going to burst if I don't do something."

The elf sighed in the defeat.

.

.

On the two years since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's defeat, the Magical World seemed to have crawled out of the shadows. Diagon Alley was cheery, with people happily looking through the shops and a feeling of calmness in the air.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY YOU COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Well, mostly.

Regulus didn't let Cassia go to Diagon Alley all that much. It was like he wanted to protect her from the stares and mutters of the people. As if she didn't already know.

Cassia knew her family has been on the losing side of the war. She knew they all thought _muggles_ were inferiors and they, purebloods, superiors. She even knew that her brother Sirius, who had been on the other side at first, turned cloak in the end and now was in Azkaban with their cousin.

Regulus always told her he believed Sirius had only joined Voldemort to protect the Potters, or maybe to even spy for the Order, but it had backfired terribly.

"He never believed in the pureblood superiority," he had told her wrinkling his nose, as if believing him stupid for denying such an obvious thing. "And he loved James Potter like a, well, more than a brother. He would have never betrayed him."

He still faced some prejudice. A couple of months after the war ended he went willingly to the Ministry and demanded a trial. "I became a Death Eater but I quit. They killed my father for it. I never killed anyone but still…I'm here to face the consequences of my actions."

They sent him to Azkaban for two months (one for each year you've been on his service) and he came back pale, shaking, awfully thin and with emptiness on his eyes. It was only thanks to Cassia that he didn't spiral into madness.

Cassia looked like a Black. With wavy black hair, grey eyes, high cheekbones and aristocratic face, she fit the part. She knew when people saw her they only thought «_Look! There goes the mass-murderer's sister_», «_Did you know her whole family has been in Azkaban?_» or «_Who knows what kind of Dark Magic they've taught her?_». They didn't see a girl, they saw a Black.

So that was why she wanted to sneak in, without anyone looking at her like she had murdered their family.

She turned to her elf. "Kreacher," she said solemnly. "I order you to go back home and only come back when I call or if I'm in danger."

Like she'd expected he opened his mouth to argue. "But Mistress-"

"Kreacher, go!"

Even if he despised it, no house elf can disobey the orders of his master. And so he disappeared with a loud crack, leaving the girl alone in the cold alley.

Cassia knew her way around Diagon Alley, it was easy. And her first stop? Gringotts. The goblins eyed her with scepticism but when she handed them her key it vanished.

Ten minutes later she was outside with her hair tussled and a bag of money on her hands. It was her first time in the Alley alone and she was scared but excited at the same time.

The January wind was cold so she burrowed her nose on her scarf and tugged her hat over her ears. Both navy blue and white, a gift from Miss Dahlia.

"You're a Spurs fan now," she had told her.

Where to go? The few times that Cassia had been in Diagon Alley had always been with Regulus or her mother and they always had a plan, knew where to go and in the right order.

Well, now it was _her_ turn to choose.

Since she had left mid-breakfast and was hungry again she decided to go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She wanted some ice cream. Even if it was late January and freezing cold.

The man smirked at her. "Not really the time for ice creams, is it?"

Cassia just smiled at him. "It won't make it any colder."

Mr. Fortescue laughed. "Oh, at that you're right. Should you be alone here?"

"My mother and my brother are working," she shrugged. "And I'm old enough to look after myself."

The ice cream vendor seemed to fight with himself for a moment. "Why don't you come inside?" he said. "You will freeze out there."

The inside of the shop was nice and comfortable. With pastel walls and pictures of landscapes, the soft smell of vanilla in the air. There was a red sofa and a coffee table. On the sofa a young girl was reading a heavy book.

"Hi, I'm Cassia."

The girl looked up from her book. "Giorgia."

"Your father let me in. Can I sit with you? What are you reading?"

Giorgia looked a bit taken aback by the other girl's friendliness. "Um… it's called _The Red Boat_."

Seeing that the girl was answering Cassia took is as an invitation and sat on the armrest, leaning towards the girl. "What is it about?"

"Well, it's about this group of kids who find an enchanted red boat and they start travelling around the world and having adventures and stuff. And there's this evil guy who wants the boat for himself and keeps trying to steal it and they have to stop him all the time."

She nodded with interest. "Whoa! It sounds pretty great. I'll have to read it."

"They have it on Flourish and Blotts so if you have money you can go," Giorgia suggested.

Cassia grinned. "Great!" she said with such enthusiasm that Giorgia couldn't help smiling back.

Mr. Fortescue appeared on the small hall with a hovering tray in front of him. The tray landed on the coffee table and Cassia saw that it carried two bowls of ice cream covered with chocolate.

"You look like a chocolate and strawberry kind of girl," he explained as he gestured towards the bowl with the pink ice cream.

Her eyes widened with amazement. "How did you know?"

He tapped his nose. "It's my job to know these things."

The chocolate covering was hot against the cold ice cream. Cassia beamed at the first taste.

"Why don't you join her on her shopping later, Gina?" asked Mr. Fortescue. "It would do you some good to get out the house."

"Oh, I don't know… I mean, she sure has already plans a-"

Cassia shook her head. "No, actually I don't. It's just… I got my Hogwarts letter this morning but there wasn't anyone to celebrate with me at home. So I decided to come here. Come on! We can go to Flourish and Blotts and you can tell me about your favourite books!"

Seeing herself outnumbered the girl relented. "You'll have to give me money, though," she told her father.

Gina Fortescue was a tall girl for her age. With olive skin that looked almost yellowish from the lack of sun, dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She walked fast and almost seemed to be in a bad mood. Cassia, though, had quickly learnt how to make her talk.

The girls chattered about books and spent hours at Flourish and Blotts, although in the end Cassia only bought two books and Gina one. Then they went at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and they strolled through the Alley and the connecting ones (except for Knocturn Alley). When it was getting late, Cassia dragged her new friend to the pet shop to buy a cat.

"Owls are more useful," Gina told her when she saw her making faces at the kittens.

"I want a pet, not a tool," Cassia scowled.

Her brother burst into the shop with a fierce scowl and Kreacher by his side. Neither of them looked happy.

"Hi, Reg!"

His scowl deepened. "Cassiopiea Lucretia Black, what the hell were you thinking?"

Gina snorted. "Lucretia?"

"I know, I know," she stuck out her tongue to her new friend. "Can you start the shouting once we get home?"

Regulus sighed but conceded eyeing Gina, the vendor and the people on the street. "Let's go then."

"Wait!" she turned back to Gina. "My birthday is this Saturday. I guess my mother will make me a party with family members and stuff but maybe later you can come?"

Gina smiled. "Yeah, sure. And you can come visit anytime."

"Brilliant."

Regulus tried not to look warmed by the scene. Cassia hadn't had a lot of chances to interact with other kids her age, so it was nice to see her making friends again.

Still… "Can we go now?"

"Just a moment," the girl rushed to the counter. "I want that one."

.

.

"Of course you had to get the one that was missing a leg."

Cassia hugged the cat close to her body. "Nobody was going to get him! And look at him! Look at this face!"

The cat was mostly grey and fluffy, the kind of cat you wanted to nuzzle all day long. His almond shaped eyes were a mix between yellow and green. His left hind leg was missing; he got ran by a car some months ago. It was young, not even two years old, and the lady of the shop had told her had made a nice recovery. She had even given her some advice to better take care of him.

"Mother won't be happy that you've bought a cat," said Regulus. And even less when she saw the cat hadn't even a drop of kneazle blood and, on top of everything, was broken.

Cassia scratched the cat behind its ears. "I will keep him away from her and she won't mind. Now I just have to think of a name. Umm…"

"You will clean the litter box on your own and without magic."

She ignored him. "The lady said he came from Greece, so how about a Greek name?"

"You're not going to call him Zeus."

She beamed. "Helios! It's the sun god."

Her brother just sighed.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The next few months things changed a bit around the house. Miss Dahlia and Ms. Pyrites only came in the mornings, leaving her afternoons off to goof around or go to Diagon Alley to hang out with Gina.

During her childhood Cassia had made some friends with the other pureblood children around her age that always ended up stuck with her on the parties and such. Then the war had worsened and the parties had stopped, and _then_ Cassia had gone into hiding with Reg for two years. By the time she'd gone back into society it was like she didn't know those kids anymore and they all seemed so different from her… They didn't have anything in common.

Still, Cassia tried to be friendly and keep the peace on those dinners. She hated every second of it, but she bore it with a smile. Luckily those events weren't as common as they had been once upon a time.

Cassia read, played with Helios, wrote to Gina and obeyed her teachers. Miss Dahlia took her on excursions and she got to meet Tina Hopper, _the girlfriend_. They took her to a football match, Tottenham Hotspur versus Arsenal (5-0), to the movies, skating, bowling… Miss Dahlia bought her _muggle_ records when she learnt that nobody used her father's old gramophone, and Tina took her to a U2 concert and promised many more afterwards.

Cassia liked Tina.

When summer came, Regulus took Cassia on a two week holiday to the south of France. She ended up sunburnt everywhere but had lots of fun. Regulus even made a lady friend on the trip and she got to tease him a lot afterwards.

During one of her numerous trips to Diagon Alley to see Gina she also bought some Potion's ingredients, her school robes and her wand.

Mr. Ollivander had needed almost a full hour to find her perfect wand and, once he did, he kept looking at her strangely. "Pear and unicorn hair," he muttered to himself. "I think this is the first time I've ever sold something like this to a Black," and he stared at her as if expecting her to jump and announce that, actually, she was adopted.

She and Regulus shared a look. "Alright…" he cleared his throat. "Seven galleons, is it?"

The wandmaker snapped out of his trance. "Right, seven galleons, yes. I believe you will end up surprising the whole world, young lady."

Cassia was very relieved to leave the shop. "Is he always like this?"

Her brother was frowning. "Yes, he's always been a little… intense."

And after that all there was left to do was wait. Wait until September 1st came around and she could finally go to Hogwarts. Reg couldn't stop teasing her, saying that maybe he'd changed his mind and didn't want to part with her so he'd ask Ms. Pyrites to keep coming.

He didn't see the flying pillow until it was too late.

Even her mother seemed to be sad about Cassia leaving her for most of the year, but Cassia couldn't be sure. She'd never been really close to her mother, always a Daddy's girl, and when she and Reg had gone into hiding for two years it was like coming home back to a stranger. Not that her mother spent much time home afterwards.

But now at Hogwarts things would change and she couldn't wait.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Yes, Sirius is in Azkaban and he will stay there, sorry. I hope Regulus' theory about Sirius makes sense.**

**So, Hogwarts next!**

**Review?**

**MW.**


	4. That's a big ass castle

**In which Cassia finally makes it to Hogwarts.**

**Some of you asked me which year was Cassia born in, she was born the 22 January 1972. Turns out I messed it up a bit in the first chapter even though I counted it like seven times but you know how it is. I've gone and fixed it now.**

**She is one year below Bill (who was born in late November 1970) and one year above Charlie (born late December 1972) and Tonks (born in 1973). Don't worry, though, they will make their appearances.**

**Thanks to all of you who are giving this story a chance and reviewing it and following it and marking it as favourite.**

**That's a big ass castle.**

They arrived at the Hogwarts Express with fifteen minutes to spare. Regulus helped Cassia carry her trunk into the train and put it in an empty compartment by the end. Then they jumped back out and the time for goodbyes came.

Walburga looked at her daughter with seriousness. "Behave, make us proud. Win Slytherin the house cup. Make friends," _important_ friends she meant to say.

Cassia just nodded, knowing better than to start arguing with her mother about Gina Fortescue once again. "I will, Mother."

Her mother nodded and stepped back to give Regulus some privacy. He smiled at his little sister.

"Have fun for me, will you? And learn lots," his face turned fond. "Oh! You will love Hogwarts. It's the best place on the world."

Cassia smiled back but then spied her mother chatting with another witch and her face fell. "Reggie," she started.

He frowned, it had been years since she'd called him that instead of just Reg. "What's wrong?"

"What if I don't end up in Slytherin?"

Regulus sighed at her wide, panicked eyes. "Cass," he said. "if you _do_ end up in Slytherin Mother will be very happy, that's right. And I will, too. But I will also be very happy if you end up in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, because wherever you get sorted it will be the right place for you and where you will be the happiest. Just let the hat decide which is the right house for you and I will deal with Mother."

Cassia stared at him open-mouthed for a few seconds. He laughed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hurry home, will you? I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," she swore.

He laughed again. "No, you won't. But that's okay."

The train whistled once, a warning, and Regulus ushered his sister on the train. They waved each other goodbye until the other kids also started jumping into the train and Cassia disappeared from view.

He sighed and turned back to his mother. "Come on," he said. "We can go home now."

Helios meowed on the pet carrier she had on her arms and she shushed him. "I'll let you out once we're inside our compartment."

Though Cassia was ambushed before she could get there. "Cass!"

"Gina!"

They hugged in the middle of the corridor as if they hadn't seen each other just a week ago. Gina beamed at her and made a funny face at Helios. "Come on," she said. "I have an empty compartment and I'd like to get there before people start to fill it."

.

.

Three third years ended up on the compartment with them and Cassia happily started up a conversation with them. Gina just rolled her eyes and got out her book. Helios, on Cassia's lap, purred and asked for pets. The three older girls gasped and fuzzed over his missing leg.

Cassia asked them about Hogwarts, their houses (Gryffindors the three of them) and things they liked. Somehow she ended up hearing all about Emma's heartbreak with an older Gryffindor and trying to cheer the girl up.

They spent over two hours talking about that.

For lunch Cassia had enough food to feed an army, courtesy of Kreacher, so she shared it with the other girls. In compensation they shared the candies they bought with them.

"I think this is the first time I won't be starving at the feast," said Susan.

Emma and Grace laughed and nodded.

After lunch Cassia dozed off against the window for a while and then woke up to find all her companions had had the same idea so she started to read. When Gina stirred they got out Gina's deck of cards. By the time they arrived the station they were all immersed in a never-ending game of Exploding Snap.

The first years followed a huge man through a dark path-

"You sure he's not trying to kidnap us?"

"Shut up, Gina!"

-and to the lake. It was a perfect mirror of the night sky, with the moon and thousands of stars reflecting on it. The girls got into a boat with a scared looking boy and another girl.

"Look!" Cassia pointed to the water. "There I am. Do you see the «W»?"

Gina furrowed her brows. "I don't understand."

"That's Cassiopeia, the constellation I'm named after."

Gina's face deadpanned.

They had to climb some stairs, wet and slippery, that made Cassia worry that someone would slip and break their necks. Luckily they made it to the top with the same number of kids.

A woman greeted them on the door and Cassia knew from her stern-looking face that she was Professor McGonagall. Regulus had shared a lot of intel on the inner workings of Hogwarts.

McGonagall left them alone for a few minutes while "she worked out some preparations" and everybody started muttering, half in a panic.

"You would think we are being sent to death by the look on their faces," Gina told her in a low murmur.

Cassia held back her laughter and nudged her. Sometimes Gina had a really dark sense of humour for an eleven year old.

Professor McGonagall came back before the kids could start a mutiny and took them to the Great Hall, where the Sorting Hat sang the song he'd been rehearsing for a whole year.

"Do you think he's lonely?" Cassia wondered. "The only day he has something to do is today and ten, fifteen minutes later it's done and he won't be doing anything else until next year."

Gina eyed her like she had lost her mind. "He's a _hat_."

She had a point.

The old professor started with the sorting part. With a clear, sharp voice she read the first name on the list.

"Abbot, Thomas!"

Thomas Abbot was a short, pudgy kid. The Abbot family was almost as old as the Black family, yet Cassia hadn't interacted much with them.

They were blood traitors after all.

The kid fidgeted on the stool. "RAVENCLAW!"

"Bates, Ophelia!"

Ophelia was a dark haired girl with lots of freckles. A half-blood, Cassia recalled. The hat mused for a while and then…

"SLYHERIN!"

Ophelia was greeted with loud cheers and she sat happily on her new table. Cassia remembered Regulus words and wondered if he really meant them.

She didn't have a lot of time to muse over it. "Black, Cassiopeia!"

The sudden silence in the hall felt deafening. Cassia felt a knot on her stomach, cold sweat on the back of her neck and she didn't think her knees could make it to the stool.

«_You are a Black_» she told herself. «_You can do this_».

As she stepped out of the mass of kids she could hear the whispers and feel the eyes on her. She could imagine what they were all saying. They weren't nice things, Cassia was sure.

She sat down, her fingers gripping the edge of the stool so hard her knuckles turned white. Professor McGonagall lowered the hat…

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Cassia blinked, taken aback. That was it? She hadn't even felt it brush her head. She looked up to the Professor, who seemed as surprised as she was. The Great Hall remained in stunned silence.

Cassia stood up, her legs felt a bit steadier than before. She recognized her table for the black and yellow ties of her new housemates. Just like her own tie now.

A boy stood up and clapped once. Cassia stopped dead on her tracks. The guy stared at her straight in the eye and clapped again.

Another girl stood up and joined in the clapping. And another, and another. By the time Cassia reached the table over a quarter of the badgers were clapping for her. It was more than she had expected.

The first boy gestured to an empty spot by his side. Relieved yet anxious at the same time, Cassia obliged.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Mike Richards, sixth year. Welcome to Hufflepuff."

She had the sudden urge to hug him. Instead she smiled gratefully up at him. "Thanks," and her voice told him she wasn't just meaning the introduction.

He winked at her. "Anyone who gets sorted into Hufflepuff that quickly it's alright in my book."

"It was fast, wasn't it?"

Mike laughed. "You must really be a badger at heart," he smiled at her. "So, Cassiopeia, that's a mouthful. Do you have a nickname or do we have to make you one?"

"Cassia," she said. "You can call me Cassia."

"Alright then, Cassia."

She turned back to the Sorting for a second. Gina should be going soon. She was just on the F's.

And soon enough. "Fortescue, Giorgia!"

Gina walked to the stool and sat resolutely. The hat covered half her face yet Cassia could see the annoyed set of her lips. She saw them move and Cassia held back a snort. Was she arguing with the hat?

She wouldn't put it past her.

Gina wrinkled her nose and Cassia knew she was glaring up at the hat. Then her lips turned down in a disappointed pout and Cassia already knew they wouldn't be staying together.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Cassia cheered loudly for her friend, not minding the looks her housemates gave her. "Go, Gina!"

"Friend of yours?" Mike wondered.

"The best."

Mike whistled next to her. "Yeah, Gina! You go, girl!"

And Gina sat down among her cheering house with two crazy badgers hooting for her. But Cassia had shown her in that moment that she didn't care in which house they ended up, they would still be friends.

No, Gina had never doubted Cassia would end up in Hufflepuff.

.

.

After the ceremony ended and the actual eating part of the feast began, Mike and his friends started bombarding Cassia with questions.

"What's your favourite _quidditch _team?"

"Do you have a pet?"

"What's your favourite colour?"

"What did you think of the castle?"

"Have you ever been to Az-?"

"Christopher!"

"Right, sorry, not the time. What's your Quidditch team?."

"Did the hat even say _anything_ to you?"

"What's five times six?"

Cassia laughed at them, thoroughly overwhelmed. "Alright, alright, stop it! I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition."

"_Nobody_ expects the Spanish Inquisition!" one of the girls answered almost automatically.

Cassia beamed at her. "You like Monty Python too?"

The girl gaped at her. "Too?" she squeaked.

It was then that the Hufflepuff table started to realize there was more to Cassiopeia Black than what met the eye.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

_Dear Cassia,_

_So Hufflepuff, huh?_

_I can't say I'm surprised. Not really. Now that I think of it, you are the perfect Hufflepuff._

_Don't worry about Mother, I've talked her out of sending you a howler. I think she believes the Sorting Hat is somehow trying to get revenge on her. It makes me wonder what she did to it so she can consider it possible._

_I miss you a lot (yes, I know you've only been away two days). Kreacher does too._

_I'm writing an article on the Prophet about the first year of Hogwarts, both for parents and children. It makes me remember the trouble Sirius and I got into and… please, don't be like Sirius and don't blow up a whole corridor. _

_Or if you do, don't get caught._

_I've heard Severus Snape is your Potion's teacher. He was a friend of mine back when I was in school. Well, sort of. If he messes with you know that I have a lot of dirty secrets you can blackmail him with._

_If he is mean to you know that it's probably Sirius' fault._

_What do you think of the classes? Potions was always my favourite (and don't you dare to say 'How come you don't know how to cook, then?' I know you, Cassiopeia Black). History of Magic was alright, well, not when Binns was teaching it. Did you know he appeared as a ghost on my second class? First class he was a normal teacher, second class ZAP! He was dead._

_Where did Gina end up? Is she in Hufflepuff, too? Have you made some more friends?_

_If people look at you badly because you're a Black, show them what a Black is really capable of. That should quiet them right up._

_Don't spend too long with the reply._

_Regulus Black._

.

.

_My little badger,_

_I knew it! I knew you would end up in Hufflepuff! Now Tina owes me a dinner out (she thought you would be a Ravenclaw, but I know how much you like studying… by the way, you still haven't done that essay on "The Woman Who Got On A Broom"). _

_Are you making friends? Well, that's a silly question, I know you already have them all charmed. The thing is to wait and see if Gina will chase them away or not._

_Where has she gone, by the way? (Please, say Ravenclaw, please say Ravenclaw)._

_Tina is sending you some cookies with this letter. She says they come along with her love._

_If I'm not careful you'll end up stealing my girlfriend one of these days._

_Have you checked out the library? It's a-ma-zing! Do it now!_

_I'm very proud of you. I hope you have loads of fun and maybe learn a little too._

_Write back!_

_Lots of love,_

_Dahls._

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The first year Hufflepuffs were a bit conflicted on the topic of Cassiopeia Black.

On one hand she was a Black. Everybody knew how all her family was in prison (or had been, but mostly was) for siding with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They knew she came from a dark family with a penchant for the Dark Arts and a hatred for everything _muggle_.

Yet she was friends with the sixth years and that made her _cool_. She knew things about magic that the others couldn't imagine and yet was always humming one _muggle_ song or another and was as likely to be found with a _muggle_ book under her arm as with a magical one. As long as it had adventures on it, of course.

Every class they shared with the Slytherins she sat with them, always next to that blonde girl who always looked angry, snickering together the whole time. They closed themselves off the world, seemingly unapproachable, untouchable.

And yet she talked with everyone as if they were her friends. She smiled big and said 'hi' and acted polite even towards Mr. Binns. The ghost even _knew_ her name.

She looked scary, with those aristocratic features so distinctly _Black_, but they all had seen her cuddle up with her cat on one of the armchairs on the Common Room. A cat that she'd adopted because it was missing a leg and nobody else would get, but was one of the most energetic creatures out there.

Cassia Black should have been an outcast but it seemed she made it impossible to be disliked.

.

.

Cassia shared a room with five other girls. There was Posy Rowle, Zinia Zeller, Vivian Applebee, Arianne Fleet and Charlotte Baker.

Posy was a tiny girl with way too much energy. She spent all of her time with Vivian, who was calm enough to keep her in cheek. Charlotte was a _muggleborn_, pretty naïve and oblivious, so Zinnia, steady and kind, and Arianne, wickedly smart but not that patient, took her under their wing along with the help of Garrick Berrow (one of the Hufflepuff guys who seemed much more comfortable around girls than his own roommates).

The other four Hufflepuff boys were a tight group: Michael Smith, Damian Noble, Robert Williams and Jamie Parker, the other _muggleborn_. Cassia talked with them from time to time, after all they shared all their classes, and they seemed nice enough.

Still, they were _boys_.

.

.

Cassia came from a household filled to the brim with magic. Still, some of the classes were hard even for her. There was a lot to learn, even if she played with an advantage. Gina absolutely loved the Hogwarts library and so Cassia found herself there a lot. While she tended to leave essays and homework to the last minute, having Gina there doing them on time (and even early) made her do them too.

So, really, it wasn't so surprising that she suddenly found herself being one of the best in their year.

Gina was on the top, of course, followed by Timothy Macmillan, Ravenclaw, and then an unsuspecting Cassia.

Since Gina was cold and intimidating and Timothy was standoffish and arrogant their mates went to Cassia whenever they needed help or had a question. After all, she was kind and patient and took the time to explain everything and make sure it was understood.

"You could just tell them to go away," Gina told her one cold December afternoon, watching as Sharif Tamboli, Ravenclaw, made his way out of the library.

Cassia just rolled her eyes. "It's called being nice."

"Your mother will kick you out of the house one of these days."

"And that's why you don't have more friends."

Gina snorted with amusement. "I don't want more friends. I have you."

"Aaaww," she grinned at the blonde. "I knew you loved me," she tickled her cheek with her feather. The blonde girl wrinkled her nose.

Gina scowled playfully. "Don't push it," she slapped the offending item away.

Jessica Harris, a _muggleborn_ Gryffindor who looked at least two years younger than she was, slowly approached the table. "Umm… Cassia, hi, I hope I'm not- I don't want to bother you-" her wide eyes kept drifting towards the Slytherin.

Gina dropped her head on the table and groaned. Cassia elbowed her for her rude manners and smiled charmingly at Jessica.

"Hi, Jess. Trouble with Charms again?"

Gina turned her head so that her cheek was pressed against the wood and glared up at her friend. "Why did you have to be the most popular girl in our year?"

"What?" Cassia snorted. "I'm not the most popular girl in our year."

"You are," said Gina.

"You are," Jessica smiled apologetically.

(She was).

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**How did you like it?**

**I would have asked you which House you thought Cassia would be in but seeing that there's a Hufflepuff scarf on the cover…**

**Still, do you think it suits her? What about Gina?**

**THANK YOU ALL LOVELY PEOPLE FOR LEAVING REVIEWS, REALLY, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.**

**MW.**


	5. Friends

**Yes, another chapter for you, lovely people. The might be some people you recognize in here.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you can recognize belongs to me.**

**Friends.**

The Christmas holidays were a bit… tense.

Walburga hadn't taken Cassia's sorting very well. In fact she'd been personally offended by it and kept muttering about how "history was repeating itself" and "she didn't know which was worse".

From some of her comments it was clear she was hoping the Sorting Hat had made a mistake.

Cassia had wisely refused to tell her the Hat had sorted her so fast she was probably one of the Hufflepuffest witches around.

She exchanged owls with Gina and Mike and Alyssa and Heather (also sixth years), who had gotten very close to Cassia during those months. She bothered Regulus, played with Helios and hung out with Dahlia and Tina.

Her mother wasn't aware of those visits, of course.

At Christmas morning she woke up at six o'clock. She snuck out to spy on the Christmas tree and the presents sprawled underneath and spent a good hour trying to guess what each one was without opening them.

Kreacher found her sometime later and dragged her to the kitchen to have some breakfast.

"Mistress Cassiopeia knows that the Mistress won't wake until later. What is she doing awake so soon?"

As if Cassia didn't do the same thing every Christmas morning.

Regulus appeared around nine, not surprised at all to see her very awake and playing Christmas carols on the piano.

"Mother isn't awake yet?"

Cassia huffed. "No. It's like she likes to sleep in late on Christmas on purpose."

He laughed. "I wouldn't put it past her." He sat on the stool next to her, it reminded her of when she was little and they would play songs together. "What are we singing?"

.

.

On the 27th Dahlia and Tina took her to a Police concert in the Wembley Arena, it was their Christmas gift to her. Cassia belted out the song lyrics along with Tina while Dahlia rolled her eyes.

But, still, she joined them, along with everybody in the whole arena, into singing Every Breath You Take at the top of their lungs.

The Malfoys hosted a party for New Years, as they did most years, and Cassiopeia had to grin through the condescending and pitying looks ("Oh, you are in Hufflepuff. I'm sure the hat made a mistake, child). But still, she had on a light blue tunic than twirled around her when she danced and her hair was done in a gorgeous up-do and she felt so pretty it was hard to stay mad.

Cassia danced with her cousin's son, Draco, whose cheeks remained flushed red the whole time, and chatted with some of her school mates. Most of them Slytherins, of course.

The holidays were over all too soon and yet not soon enough. Even if Cassia missed the castle, she didn't miss the lessons.

Less of all Potions, which were stressful enough without Professor Snape glaring at her like she had killed his puppy and making off-hands comments about her brother Sirius being as awful at Potions as she was.

Even History of Magic was better than Potions. At least she could ignore Professor. Binns and talk with Gina or, when the Slytherin was feeling specially studious, get lost in a book. Not that the ghost even noticed.

So it was off to Hogwarts and its halls and classrooms and its big library.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia had friends. Posy and the girls were her friends, the Hufflepuff boys too, Mike, Heather and Alyssa were also her friends. So were Jess, Maeve, Amy and Becca, the Gryffindor girls, and Sofia, Freya, Mary and Alice in Ravenclaw. Even Sharif and some of the Ravenclaw boys, too.

But they couldn't compare to Gina. Gina was her best friend and they could spend hours talking about books and about life. And Cassia loved it, didn't want it to change. But it did.

It was a cold March morning and the two girls were on their way to Charms. They were _late_ for Charms, actually, so they were in a bit of a rush. Gina had slept in and she had missed breakfast, so she wasn't in the best of moods.

It wasn't the best time for her to crash into the Gryffindor boy.

He was shorter than Cassia by at least a head and scrawny to a boot. A mass of unruly brown curls sat on his head, half covering bright green eyes. A whole array of freckles covered his pale face.

Cassia didn't recall his name, only knew he was in Gryffindor by the colour of his tie. She also knew that the crash was mainly Gina's fault. Her friend wasn't going to see it that way, though.

"Hey! Watch were you're going! Merlin, with those eyes huge as you have one would think you should see better!" And she stormed off.

The boy gaped at her back, not that Cassia blamed him. "You're a maniac!" he shouted.

"_She's a maniac, maniac on the floor_," Catia sang almost absentmindedly.

The boy stared at her unblinkingly and then… "_And she's dancing like she's never danced before_."

Cassia grinned at him. "_She's a maniac,_" he joined her now."_maniac on the floor. And she's dancing like she's never danced befoooooreee_."

"Cassia! What the hell?"

Cassia threw her hand out. "Hi, I'm Cassia Black."

"I know," he shook her hand. "Donaghan Tremlett."

"Cassia, we're going to be _very _late!"

Cassia took a look good at him. "Talk to you later?"

"Sure."

And she did, during Transfiguration. She peeked into the classroom, late because she had spent a good part of the lunch break trying to get Helios to get down from the canopy of her bed, and spotted him sitting alone in the back of the classroom.

"Told you I would talk to you later," she told him propping herself down on the empty seat by his side.

"Oh," he looked surprised. "Do you- are you sure you wanna sit with me? I'm not the best at Transfiguration."

"Don't worry," she winked at him. "I am."

Donaghan was a _muggleborn_ and he knew a lot about _muggle _music and movies, much to Cassia's delight. He seemed very surprised to learn of her hobbies and Cassia knew he must have heard the rumours about her family.

They chatted quietly during the class, falling silent whenever Professor McGonagall looked their way and afterwards Cassia offered to help him with the essay they had just been given. And she _had _planned to help him, but somehow they ended up in an unused classroom and Don was teaching her how to play his guitar.

Don assured her she would have found it way harder if she hadn't already known how to play another instrument.

"When did you start playing the piano?" he asked her.

Cassia strummed a C repeatedly. "I think I was four? I don't really know. Mrs. Pyrites taught me," she wrinkled her nose. "She wasn't very nice. Still," she changed from C to D to A. "Some of it stuck."

"I can see that," he grinned at her.

Cassia beamed back and played the first chords of a known song. He rolled his eyes but joined her once she started to sing.

And that was how she ended up singing _Here Comes the Sun_ with Donaghan Tremlett in an empty and dusty classroom.

.

.

Gina wasn't very happy about Cassia skipping some of their time together to go hang out with Don.

"Who is he anyway?"

And Cassia's assurances that he was a really nice guy weren't well received.

"You always say you want some time alone in the Library! This can be it."

Cassia loved Gina with all her heart, she was her best friend, but at times she was unreasonable. And she had a feeling that Don could be a really great friend too.

So she invited him to sit with them at meals and join them in the library sometimes, much to Gina's irritation.

"He's loud and has no filter whatsoever and he's jumpy and restless," Gina spewed. "He's always making some noise and can't he go a full minute without tapping his fingers? How can you _stand _him?"

Cassia shrugged. "He's nice and interesting," she said. "And Helios likes him."

"_He has met Helios?_"

Cassia knew Gina was unhappy with the new addition. Still, she hadn't expected for the other girl to get some revenge of her own.

Nicomedes Warrington was a quiet kid. A fellow Slytherin, he was firmly stuck in the background and yet he didn't seem to mind. That was true until one April evening when his silent persona was found sitting next to Giorgia Fortescue in the Library.

Cassia sat in front of Nicomedes as if she had expected him to be sitting there all along. "Hi, you're Warrington, right. Nicholas?"

The kid looked at her, unblinking, and Cassia held his stare. "Nicomedes," he said in the end.

Nicomedes was tall for a first year and serious. When he spoke his very white teeth stood out against his dark skin and Cassia got a feeling that if he ever smiled it would be devastating. Brown eyes observed everything with a half-scowl and a layer of very short black hair covered his head.

Cassia beamed at him. "I'm Cassiopeia, well, Cassia. And this is Donaghan, although I call him Don."

Don peered at the new kid over her shoulder. "Can we call you Nick?"

Nicomedes frowned at Don. "No."

"Right," Don smirked and glanced at Cassia from the corner of his eye. "Nick it is."

Cassia pressed her lips together to stop a snort from coming out.

Nick spoke a whole total of two sentences during that evening in the Library. Not that it mattered, Cassia and Don did most of the talking. Still, those two sentences were drenched in sarcasm and dry humour and Cassia decided that she liked him.

"Counterbalance," she told Don when he asked her why she had liked the silent kid so much. "We can't all be the same way."

Gina should have known that Cassia would take her little stance in stride and adopt Nicomedes into their slowly growing group. And, well, Nicomedes liked the peace and quiet as much as she did and, for as much as she complained about the Tremlett boy, he did make the days more interesting. And if she asked him to entertain Cassia for a little while because she wanted to be alone… well, he was always up to the job.

So, perhaps, it wasn't that bad.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Hufflepuff won the House Cup that year and Cassia went home with surprisingly good marks. Even if she, along with Don and Nick's help, had managed to get Gina to relax a little, the Fortescue girl had had them all holed up in the library the weeks previous to the exams. And with all that preparation they were almost too easy.

She knew better than to invite Don over to their house. She was sure Walburga wasn't above disinheriting her twelve-year-old daughter. But Nick was from and old, respectable family, so he could come.

She also met up with Gina at Diagon Alley and Nick joined them some days. (Don, living in Ireland, regretfully couldn't come). Dahlia and Tina took her to concerts or games or just strolls around the city and questioned her about every tiny detail of that year.

They were also getting married next spring and so Cassia hung around their house a lot to help plan the wedding.

After all, she was to be a junior bridesmaid. Along with Tina's little sister, Alexa, who quickly became a great friend of the girl.

Even if Regulus was busy working most of the summer he still managed to get two weeks off and took her in a trip to Norway and Sweden. It was two weeks of only the two of them alone and Cassia loved every minute of it.

She had missed her brother, after all.

In no time he had gone back to work and Cassia went to the Alley to get her supplies for the next year and suddenly she was sitting in a compartment with Gina, Don and Nick leaving the busy city of London.

.

.

The sorting was long and all Cassia wanted to do was eat. She clapped and cheered for the new Hufflepuffs, anticipation filling her whenever the crowd of first years became smaller and smaller until finally they all were sorted.

She was sitting next to Mike, who was puffing his chest like a peacock to show off his shiny Head Boy badge. Heather and Alyssa teased him a lot. Although through their teasing they also welcomed warmly the intimidated first years that flocked to their side.

There was a girl who seemed unfazed, digging in her mashed potatoes with no care for the seventh years. Her hair, Cassia noted, was black and yellow.

"That's a lot of house pride," she said. "Were you so sure you were going to be a badger?"

The girl looked up at her with confusion. "Huh?"

"Your hair," Cassia clarified.

The girl took a strand and eyed it, as if she had forgotten which colour her hair was. "Right!" she said cheerfully. "No, I did it when we sat down. I thought it fit, you know?"

Beside Cassia, Heather leaned in with interest. "How did you do it?"

"Like this," the girl scrunched her nose in concentration and her hair turned icy blue. "I'm a metamorphmagus," she explained.

"Really? I've never met one," and then Heather promptly started interrogating the poor girl.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Nymphadora Tonks was a carefree, devil-may-care child. Her hair changed colours a thousand times a day and Cassia had caught her eyes changing more than once. She laughed the loudest of the first years and stumbled over everything. She had fallen down the stairs twice on the first week and at least five more times in the rest of that month. She was on first name basis with Madam Pomfrey by the end of the second month and her cheeky smile had become easily recognizable in any of the faces she chose to mimic.

So Cassia was quite surprised, then, to find her crying in the couch in front of the barely lit fireplace at odd hours in the freezing January morning.

Cassia had been awoken by Helios, who had decided that two in the morning was a good time to try and sit on her face.

Not the greatest way to wake up.

And since she was awake and her stomach was grumbling she decided it was a good time to sneak into the kitchen and have a snack. Thank Merlin for Mike and his knowledge of Hogwarts.

It was just as she had tiptoed into the common room that she found the girl, her hair a mousy brown, sobbing in front of the fireplace.

"Hey," she called. "What's wrong? Can I help you?"

The kid turned her face to look at her. She sniffled and cleaned her cheeks with the sleeves of her pyjama.

"Do you know a spell to make really mean girls feel bad?"

Sensing that a serious conversation was coming, Cassia sat next to her. "I might," she said. "What did they do?"

"They kicked me out of our room."

Cassia's eyebrows climbed up. "They did? Why?"

Nymphadora looked at her from the corner of her eye, fearfully. Then she scowled and turned to face her, a fierce determination in her eyes.

"They kicked me out because today I was a boy."

"Come again?"

The girl, boy?, was unapologetic. "I'm a girl most of the time. But there are days where I just feel like a boy. I _am _a boy. In every sense of the word."

_Oh!_ Knowing of her abilities Cassia didn't doubt that. And now that she took a good look she could see it. Small details, barely noticeable, but they made a difference.

"And I guess they didn't take it well."

Nymphadora's face fell. "No. They told me to come back when I was _normal_ again," he huffed. "I thought Hufflepuffs were supposed to be loyal and everything."

Cassia passed an arm over his shoulders, hugging him. "You must understand that they may be Hufflepuffs but first of all they are kids. And like all people they are scared of things they don't understand."

"_You _don't seem to be scared of it."

"Well, I know this _muggle _girl. Her name is Alexa and she is some years older than me," she said. "She's a great girl but the thing is… she has a boy's body. Her family and friends understand and they help her a lot. She's even planning to have a surgery when she's of age to change her body."

"Oh."

"A friend of mine forewarned me first and she even gave me a book that helped a lot. I think it could help you, too. I could owl her and have her sent it to me or you can even order it on Flourish and Blotts. _Through Her Eyes _by Magnus Stevenson."

"I… I think that would be great."

"Alright," Cassia stood up. "So, I was on my way to the kitchen. Fancy joining me? You can even sleep with me until your roommates let you back in."

"You don't mind?"

Cassia smiled "We're both tiny things. I'm sure we'll fit with no problems."

.

.

And that was how Nymphadora Tonks came to be a part of their crew. And she brought along Elisa Fawley, a Ravenclaw. Eli was a tall, somewhat tubby girl with blonde hair always in to braids and stunning blue eyes, half concealed by big, rectangular glasses. She was calm and collected; the Gina to Tonks' Cassia.

Even Gina didn't have any arguments about accepting her.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The last member of their happy group came through, surprisingly enough, Nick, when the boy got a shadow.

Nick wanted to join the _quidditch_ team next year. He was a great flyer and by the next year one of the beaters, Nick's position, would be done with school. So Nick started to train by himself on the _quidditch_ pitch.

Charlie Weasley had seen him, gaped in awe, and decided to join him.

And then Nick got himself a new fanboy/stalker.

Charlie Weasley was nothing if persistent and he wanted Nick to train with him. So he would follow him around until Nick accepted.

In the first afternoon, Cassia adopted him into the group. In the third, Tonks managed to land them both in detention (along with Eli, who had tried, and failed, to cover for them) for putting dungbombs in Filch's office. By the sixth Gina had already made him a study planner and Don was trying to teach him how to sing _Puff, the Magic Dragon_.

In the end Nick had no other choice but to give up.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**So there you have it. In case you were wondering when she would meet Tonks and the Weasleys (I know it's just Charlie but Charlie is great, fight me on this).**

**What do you think of the new friends? And their dynamics?**

**Hope you liked it!**

**MW.**


	6. Happy Worst Saint Valentine's Day

**This chapter still takes place during Cassia's second year (during February, as you may have guessed).**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me.**

**Enjoy!**

**Happy Worst Saint Valentine's Day.**

The first boyfriend Cassia ever had was Kyle Hill, a Gryffindor, and the relationship lasted twenty-seven hours.

It gained her the newly made trophy for "Shortest Relationship" that she held in her power for a long time.

It started on the morning of February 13th, in the middle of Herbology class, bright and early in the morning. There had been a buzz during the whole week as people talked about the approaching celebration and that day it was even worse.

Cassia and Don were paired with two of Don's roommates, Paul Brown and Kyle Hill. While Professor Sprout talked in the background, Kyle kept trying to, without the teacher seeing, throw dirt at her clothes.

So Cassia retaliated, of course.

It was a silent battle that had Don rolling his eyes and Kyle and Cassia almost in giggles. In the end he grabbed a handful of soil and smashed it over her hair so, outraged, Cassia chucked the whole bucket of fertiliser at him.

Professor Sprout hadn't been happy and gave the two of them detention. She held them behind after class to disapprove of their behaviour and Kyle offered to walk her to the dungeons for her next class.

In the way over he asked her out and Cassia was so surprised she accepted.

Kyle seemed a nice kid, chivalrous. He had blonde hair and green eyes and she was sure he could be very handsome once he grew up. He didn't seem intimidated by her family and clearly liked her enough to ask her.

Gina wasn't happy with the news "_Kyle Hill_?" she'd scoffed as if Cassia had told her she was planning on going out with Filch. Tonks found it funny and Eli romantic.

Kyle sat next to her during lunch and kept trying to hold her hand, which made it very difficult to eat, and during dinner as well. He mostly talked with Don or Charlie and kept eyeing Gina and Nick with suspicion.

That night they had detention and Kyle light a dozen of candles around the trophy room, which they had to clean without magic of any kind, to make it more romantic.

"It's our third date," he said.

Because of course he counted lunch and dinner as first and second dates.

Cassia talked about nothing and everything and they ended up having a two hour long discussion about the best _quidditch _teams. Not her favourite topic.

He walked her to the Great Hall and Cassia stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on his lips. It was her first kiss.

Kyle turned almost as red as his scarf. "Thank you," he said and then ran all the way to his common room.

Somewhat perplexed, Cassia made her way to hers.

Tonks cried with laughter when Cassia told her about the evening. When she got to her room she had to replay the whole thing to her roommates, who had been waiting for her. They all burst into giggles at the end of her story.

.

.

Kyle was one of those boys who slept until the last minute. That meant he usually rushed through breakfast and barely made it to class in time.

So Cassia expected a breakfast Kyle-free.

She sat next to Tonks, a free seat at her left meant for Gina, with Don in front of her. Nick was at Don's right and Eli at his left, in front of Tonks, Charlie sat next to the metamorphmagus. It was how they usually sat.

Gina appeared with the morning mail. She immediately grabbed a cup of tea and glared at everybody who dared to look at her.

Regulus' owl landed in front of Cassia. It wasn't really unexpected, since Cassia and her brother kept a regular exchange of letters during the year, but she was surprised anyway.

It was a very short letter.

_Cassia,_

_Mother is dead. She died yesterday (by the time you read this it will be morning) evening in her bed. At the moment the cause it's unknown._

_I believe the Ministry will automatically send a letter to Professor Dumbledore since you are in school. Talk to Professor Sprout, she has to let you come home for the funeral._

_Regulus._

Cassia blinked at the letter and read it again. And once more.

Cold sweat started pooling in the back of her neck as she tried to make sense of the words her brother had written. His careful penmanship blurred together and she struggled to focus her sight.

"Cassia!" Gina's sharp elbow brought her back to earth.

She took in a ragged breath –when had she stopped breathing?– and looked at her best friend. "Gina…"

Gina was now looking worried. "What did the letter say, Cass?"

"My-my mother…" she stood up. "I have to find Sprout."

On her way out the Great Hall she almost crashed with Kyle.

"Cassiopeia!" he smiled at her.

Cassia looked at him, her heart beating out of control. "Don't!" she gasped. "Just… don't." And she flew.

.

.

Professor Sprout's office was warm and filled with plants. It was full of patchwork cushions and comfy bean bag chairs to relax in front of the fireplace.

Professor Sprout had given Cassia a cup of tea and some biscuits and bundled her tight with a quilt. A box of tissues waited for her in the coffee table and Professor Sprout had already told her that the cushions made great punching bags.

Professor Dumbledore appeared not long after that, looking sad and old.

"It was not long ago that this was a common occurrence," he told her.

The funeral was to be that same evening and Cassia was excused to go. She would leave right after noon, which gave her enough time to pack some things and explain the situation to her friends. Her return would be up to her brother, but the floo to the Headmaster's office would be open for them until they needed it.

The walk to her room had never seemed so long.

Cassia emptied her schoolbag on her bed and grabbed some clothes. She also got her toothbrush and toothpaste and her brush. Helios' things also went in the bag and the cat itself into its carrier.

The girl stood in the empty room for a few minutes before she gathered enough courage to make her way to the Great Hall.

Her friends were already there, in the Hufflepuff table, and their eyes widened as they saw her with Helios in tow.

"What's going on?" Don dared to ask once she had sat down.

She answered flatly. "My mother is dead."

Eli gasped, Don cursed and the rest remained in stunned silence.

"When is the funeral?" asked Gina in the end.

"This evening. I'm flooing home after lunch."

"When are you coming back?" Eli wondered with a tiny voice.

"I don't know. Maybe tomorrow."

And then she broke down, latching to Gina's waist and melting down into sobs on her shoulder.

"Hey," Gina was at a loss on what to do with a crying Cassia. "Everything is going to be alright."

"How can it be?" she bawled. "I'm an _orphan_!"

Don gasped. "I didn't know you father died."

Cassia released Gina's body. "He didn't _die_," she spewed, her eyes filled with cold fire. "He was murdered by my cousin's husband!"

Charlie's eyes were wide. "How do you know that?"

"I know that because I was there. Because I saw it with my own eyes."

That killed the conversation.

.

.

Kyle Hill wasn't what you would call an observant kid and he didn't exactly know how to read moods. If he did he would have known better than to grab his girlfriend's hand and drag her away from the Great Hall to have a talk.

"What happened this morning?" he demanded.

"What?"

"This morning, in the Great Hall. You almost ran me over and didn't even apologize! And then you weren't in Transfiguration! Have you been avoiding me?"

Cassia stared at the red-faced boy, not believing her ears. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"The whole word doesn't revolve around you!"

"Oh! So you can go treating people like… like shit because the whole world revolves around Cassiopeia Black?"

"_What_?" Cassia shook her head. "Just… what?"

"I went to ask your friends what was going on with you but that Fortescue girl almost bit my head off for even asking. She's a menace, that girl! You should get better friends!"

Cassia started laughing at that. "Let me guess… like _you_?" she said meanly.

"I- well, yes!"

She looked at him in silence for a few moments. "We're done," she announced.

"What?"

"We're over. We are not together anymore. We are no longer dating. We're finit, caput. Our relationship is over."

"_What_? But you can't- You can't break up with me!"

Cassia's eyes were cold like steel. "You haven't even asked me what's wrong!"

"Okay," he rolled his eyes ostentatiously. "What's wrong?"

"My mother just died."

Thankfully, Kyle understood that was the end of their relationship.

.

.

Regulus was waiting for her at Grimmauld Place, ready to catch her when she was spewed out the fireplace.

"I'm glad to have you home," he told her gravely.

With a flick of his wand he made the ash covering her and Helios disappear. His hands were shaking slightly and his grip on the wood was so strong his knuckles were white. He looked gaunt and pale, his eyes oh-so-sad.

"Come on," he said. "Let me help you carry your things to your room."

On her bed there was a black tunic, black stockings and black shoes. Cassia was too tired to even wonder how it had gotten there.

"Get changed, people will start arriving anytime now."

He was already in a black tunic, the edges and the hem silver. It was probably _real_ silver.

Cassia got dressed and took a look in the mirror. All the black made her look even paler.

It was too black.

She grabbed a white belt, thin and elegant, and tied it around her waist. Since their house was cold and the robe was short sleeved Cassia also grabbed a white cardigan that Dahlia had gotten her for her birthday.

She didn't like jewellery that much but she knew her mother was capable of rising from her casket if she dared to appear with nothing. So she made her way to the silver box on her vanity.

A silver diadem with six diamonds kept her hair away from her ears. Matching earrings went on those. And over her neck a thin silver chain with a pure black hematite hanging over her sternum.

Cassia took a last look in the mirror and turned away.

There were already some people downstairs and there would be lots more to come. Walburga Black had been one of the last members of the Noble Ancient and House of Black. At least that still had the surname.

Everybody who was someone in the wizarding world would show up bringing their condolences.

Her mother's casket was in the training room, which had been emptied of everything expect for some chairs. Everybody else would be in the big drawing room since it was the only room big enough and it was already equipped with tables and chairs for a lot of people.

Kreacher had clearly been cooking, for all kinds of food littered the tables of the room. The best silverware was put in display and the house was the cleanest Cassia had seen it in a long time.

"Cassia," Regulus greeted her when he saw her standing in the doors of the room. "Come here."

Regulus was standing with a prim-looking woman, another one with greying hair and an old man with a feathered, purple hat.

"This is Millicent Bagnold," he gestured to the prim woman and Cassia wasn't even surprised to learn that the Minister of Magic was at her mother's funeral. "Ms. Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," the older woman nodded her head in acknowledgment. "and Elphias Doge, Special Advisor to the Winzegamot." He put a hand on Cassia's shoulder. "This is my sister," he told them. "Cassiopeia Black."

"I'm so sorry about your loss," Ms. Amelia Bones told her sincerely and the Minister and Mr. Doge echoed her condolences.

More and more people kept arriving and soon the room started to get crowded and Cassia started to feel a little bit claustrophobic.

Everybody wanted to talk to her and tell her how sorry they were and how brave and strong she was. Cassia only wanted them all to go away.

She tried to hide with Draco, but her cousin's bright platinum locks and unfairly cute face kept attracting attention, so Cassia had to decide on a better plan.

There was a man with a metallic leg, half a nose and missing an eye talking with another one with a mane of greying hair. Everybody gave them a wide berth, not that Cassia blamed them, so that made them the perfect choice.

They were sitting in one of the corner tables, hogging the caviar canapes and talking in whispers. Without any ceremonies she sat down in the empty chair next to the one-legged man, startling them both into silence.

"What are you doing here, child?" the one-legged man grunted.

"Hiding."

The other man raised a bushy eyebrow. "From what?"

Cassia made a vague gesture towards the rest of the room. "Them."

His lips twitched. "Why is that?"

"Everybody wants to talk with me. They clearly don't want to talk with you. _I_ don't want to talk with _them_," she raised her hands as if waiving her options and shrugged her shoulders.

Both men laughed quietly.

"What are you doing here if you haven't come to mingle?" she wondered.

"We were hoping for a chance to confiscate some of the dark artefacts your family owns," the one-legged man told her.

"Alastor!"

Cassia looked between the both of them and shrugged. "My brother is not stupid enough to leave them somewhere you can find them."

The man with the enviable eyebrows looked surprised at her honesty while the other chuckled.

"Look, Scrimgeour, this kid is saying the same thing I've been telling you since we came here. We won't find anything here. Blacks are as sneaky as they come, snakes the lot of them. No offence, child," he added seeing her wrinkled nose.

"I'm not a snake," she argued.

Alastor was sceptic. "Of course you're not. Have you even gotten into Hogwarts yet? How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen!" Cassia glared at him. "And I'm a Hufflepuff!"

He guffawed at that. "Alright, child. You can sit with me, then."

Scrimgeour disappeared not long after that and Cassia remained seated next to the scary-looking man. They didn't talk much, only when he caught sight of someone and decided to inform him of his past deeds "he almost went to Azkaban," "he killed three _muggles_ with a lone spell," "that one took my little finger," "she ran a black market of hard-to-find ingredients".

He also had his usefulness: when a young woman with wavy blonde hair and gem-rimmed glasses approached her ("Hello, Cassiopeia, I'm Rita Skeeter, how wou-") he just had to grunt to send her the other way around.

And he also let her sip some of his firewhisky, coughing a laugh when she sputtered at the taste of it.

She must have fallen asleep at some point because when Regulus shook her awake everybody was gone and she was lying on a couch that hadn't been there before.

"Do you want to say one last goodbye?" he asked her.

Seeing her mother's body was like a blow to the stomach. She had avoided it all day but at that moment it was as if the truth of it hit her like a bludger.

Her mother was dead.

Both Cassia and Regulus cried as they put their mother's casket on its resting place. Only Narcissa and Lucius were also there looking sombre in their black robes.

It was way past midnight when Cassia finally fell on her bed, not even bothering to get rid of her clothes.

.

.

"Well," Gina said. "At least now you have an excuse not to celebrate Valentine's Day."

Cassia had flooed the morning after her mother's funeral, when classes had already started. She waited outside the greenhouses for Gina to come out, just to tell her she was back. Once she saw her, Gina kidnapped her and they got the rest of the crew. They all skipped their next classes and holed up in the kitchen with Cassia.

She was very grateful for her friends.

"It hasn't really been the best Valentine's Day, has it?" she snorted. "My mother dies and I dump my boyfriend."

"He was an idiot," they all chorused.

Cassia smiled at them, still sad but feeling better.

"To the most awful Valentine's Day ever," Tonks raised her bottle of butterbeer in a toast. "Happy Worst Saint Valentine's Day, guys."

They clinked their glasses together. "Happy Worst Saint Valentine's Day," they echoed.

.

.

Some weeks later Tonks handed her a trophy. It was a bright pink cup with a heart broken in two halves floating over the rim. The column was decorated with more red hearts and on the base in the black letters could be read "Prize for the Shortest Relationship" and below, smaller "27 hours".

"You have to take care of this and keep it safe," she told her with false solemnity. "And if the time comes when one of us has beaten your glorious record, you shall have to bestow the Trophy of Relationships on them."

Cassia closed her eyes in defeat and snorted. Pressing her lips together to stop the giggles she nodded solemnly.

"I shall guard it with my life," she promised.

And she kept it on a shelf in her room for the years to come, bringing it to Hogwarts and taking it back home when it was time. And she kept it clean and shiny until the time came to bestow it upon Charlie who set the new record at two hours with Amanda Pykes on his seventh year. It was the time Amanda and Charlie would need to get to Hogsmeade, get into Madam Pudiffots, wait to get a table, talk for fifteen minutes and break up.

Cassia and the others all made their way to Hogsmeade to be part of the Passing Down of the Trophy.

Nobody could ever break Charlie's record.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Poor Charlie… but you gotta love Tonks and her ideas, don't you?**

**Thank you everybody who keeps following and marking this story as favourite!**

**I hope you liked it.**

**MW.**


	7. In good times and bad

**In which Cassia does her third year and Regulus just wants to see the world burn.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

**In good times and bad.**

She hadn't been to a lot of weddings, and the ones she had gone to she was too young to remember. But she doubted it could compare to a _muggle _wedding.

There was something about how _muggles_ did things. They did everything without magic and so there was a certain beauty, a certain care, that Cassia felt was lacking in many magical things.

And their dress style was so much more varied! Skirts, shirts, dresses, trousers, shorts, jeans, jumpsuits, tights, skirts that were shorts… there was a whole world of possibilities.

There were three bridesmaids and two junior bridesmaids. Since there was no groom there were no ushers or a best man and instead of standing by the altar next to the happy couple they all sat down once the two brides had made their way to the aisle.

Cassia was wearing a beautiful bluebell dress. It ended just below her knees on a puffy skirt and there were no sleeves. Around her waist a flimsy cloth of a darker colour made a bow. It had a jewel neckline, modest enough that Cassia loved it. They had put a crown of bluebells on her hair and she felt like a princess.

Dahlia, in her amazingly beautiful white dress almost cried when she saw her. "You look so pretty."

"You do too."

Dahlia started to sniffle. "I don't want to ruin my make-up," she said. "Or your dress."

Cassia raised an eyebrow. "You are a witch. You can fix it in a second."

Dahlia blinked and… "Damn, you're smart."

The next thing she knew is that she was in the arms of a bawling bride.

.

.

Cassia and Alexa were the first ones to walk down towards the aisle, making the whole crowd sigh. They walked together, arm in arm, not too fast but not too slow.

Next came Martha, Bianca and Jenny, the three bridesmaids. Tina's youngest cousin, Jill, followed them, throwing flower petals along the path, with Dahlia's own cousin, William, who carried the rings. And then Dahlia, stunningly beautiful, on her father's arm and last of all Tina, on her mother's arm since her father didn't approve of her daughter's lifestyle and so hadn't been invited to the wedding.

The whole crowd 'awwwed' at the two brides and there could already be heard some sniffles.

"She looks so beautiful!"

"Which one of them?"

"Both of them!"

Tina's best friend, and also a good friend of Dahlia's, officiated the ceremony. "We're all gathered here together…"

Despite being a _muggle_ ceremony Dahlia had managed to snuck in some magic touches of her own, like tagging 'then I declare you bonded for life' right after 'I now pronounce you officially married'. Or the fact that some suspicious silver fireworks showered them right as they kissed.

Cassia met a lot of new people, some of them very interesting, and sang and danced to the songs. She and Alexa stole a bottle of champagne and got tipsy hiding in the garden.

The speeches came and everybody cried. Cassia said goodbye to the two wives and the three of them cried once more and then she caught the Knight's Bus back to Hogwarts.

Where she should have been the whole time.

But, hey, it was a Saturday.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia would never admit it to her brother, but her mother's death was a relief more than anything.

Her brother worked a lot: in the mornings in the Daily Prophet, in the afternoons building his own, The Weekly Eagle. He came home for dinner some days, others, he stayed holed up in his study in the centre of London.

They had gone back to the Reef, Regulus' house by the sea. Kreacher bounced between the two houses, not wanting to forget Grimmauld Place but also wanting to say with his masters.

With her brother working so much Cassia now could sleep in late and basically do whatever she wanted. She could invite her friends over to the beach. _All _of them and even have them stay for lunch.

She could spend her days lazing about or strolling around Diagon Alley even hanging out with Don in his _muggle _neighbourhood if she wanted.

Tonks invited her to stay over for a week in early August. When she had asked Regulus if she could go to Nymphadora Tonks' place he had gotten a strange pinched expression.

"Nymphadora Tonks is your friend?"

"One of my best friends," she had glared up at him. "And there's nothing wrong with her! She's a halfblood!"

Regulus rubbed his face and sighed. "Alright, you can go," he conceded. "Say 'hello' to Andy for me."

And Cassia wondered who 'Andy' was until Mrs. Tonks opened the door. It was like staring at a lighter version of Bellatrix Lestrange, like a softer, feminine Regulus or even like an older, lighter version of Cassia herself.

"Oh," she said.

Andromeda also seemed a bit taken aback. "It's like having travelled back in time twenty years," she muttered.

They stared at each other for some seconds more until Cassia remembered her brother's words. "You must be Andy," she said. "Regulus says 'hello'."

Mrs. Tonks looked a lot older and tired the second Cassia's words left her lips. "Come in," she said. "Nymphadora is up in her room."

.

.

Tonks' room was even more of a mess than Cassia's room usually was. Which was impressive in itself.

The Tonks lived in a _muggle_ neighbourhood in Bristol. It was quiet and quaint and there were a lot of kids running about or riding their bikes.

Cassia liked Ted Tonks, who was her cousin-in-law as it seemed. He was a jolly man and she understood why Andromeda had left her family for him. He asked Cassia the important questions and listened to what she said with real interest.

The Tonks family was boisterous and loud. They talked over each other and laughed loudly on the table and had no problems in showing earnest affection between them, both in private and in public. And the Tonks family was also part of her own.

"Just don't go calling me 'dear cousin once removed of mine' or something like that from now on," Tonks had told her.

"Since we're family I should be able to call you Nympadora," Cassia teased.

Tonks' hair turned red. "Don't you dare!"

"I don't understand why you dislike it so much. Nymphadora it's a beautiful name," Andromeda complained.

"It's an awful name, Mum!"

"Dora, mind your manners," Ted told her.

"What about Dora? Can I call you Dora?"

And Dora had grumbled her acceptance.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

During Cassia's third year at Hogwarts, Nick became a beater on the Slytherin _quidditch _team and Charlie the seeker for the Gryffindor one. It made the days surrounding the Gryffindor-Slytherin matches a lot more tense than they used to be.

Cassia's new electives consisted of Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy, which she deeply regretted having chosen.

Luckily Gina was a natural at it and could help her when she got stuck and decided chucking the whole think out the Library window was a grand idea.

Don was in Care of Magical Creatures with her and he was also taking _Muggle _Studies because it was an easy grade.

"I know even more than the teacher," he would tell her.

Nick and Gina, on the other hand, were both on Runes and Arithmancy but Gina was also taking Divination, much to the others' amusement.

Regulus had signed Cassia's Hogsmeade slip and so the four older students drowned the other three with embellished tales of the really-not-so-impressive town.

That Halloween Dora convinced Cassia to dress up as Dumbledore's flirty, foreigner wife, while she morphed as Dumbledore. Cassia spent the whole evening talking in sultry French and wearing all-too-tight clothes and draping herself over Dumbledore-Dora's body. She also flirted with some other students which resulted into Dumbledore-Dora following her around the hall and shouting "Ma chérie!" at the top of his lungs.

Even if the Hedmaster had been truly amused, the rest of the staff couldn't say the same and the two girls got a whole week straight of detention.

On a completely unrelated note, Cassia started referring to Dora as 'mon amour' first as a joke but then it unfortunately stuck for a really long time.

That Christmas break she went home and Regulus took her on the week-long vacation he hadn't had the chance to take her that summer. So they left on Boxing Day and spent a week on New York, enjoying the New Year there and, to Regulus disgust, watching the ball drop on Time's Square. They got back and the next day Cassia was off again for Hogwarts.

There was a trip to Hogsmeade the Day after Valentine's Day but, like last year, they spent it all in the kitchen drinking butterbeer and laughing at the bizarre couples that were going together to the village that day.

In late February Dora, Charlie, Don and Cassia started an all-out pranking war that lasted until June and usually had the rest of their friends as collateral damage. Even if they got some detentions they were a lot less than what Cassia had expected.

After all their jokes mostly targeted themselves and they were funny and good-natured. Even the pranked one ended up laughing, too.

Cassia and Eli managed to convince Gina that studying outside in the sun was just as productive as inside and they spent most of their time underneath a big tree right next to the lake.

More than once, in fact, Cassia had dipped her feet in the frigid water. They hurt afterwards, for the water was _cold_, but it was a reprieve.

Gina almost forbade it when Cassia and Dora started a water fight than ended up involving all of them. She had fun, though, so she didn't say anything except some warnings when Cassia dared to approach with a mischievous expression.

Between the five of them they ended throwing her into the lake anyway.

.

.

Cassia's and Don's last exam was Care of Magical creatures and, stretching her muscles, Cassia waited outside the class until Don ended. Gina and Nick were already done with their exams, fact that Gina had delighted to rub in her face the whole morning, and were lazing around in their common room. Dora, Charlie and Eli were still in the middle of their Transfiguration one, also their last one.

Cassia was quick doing exams. She wrote what she knew, sometimes she wrote something that she didn't, looked it over and handed it in. Don was much slower, even if he didn't really write as much as she did.

He came out ten minutes later, his hair more ruffled than usual.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Did we even cover ashwinders?"

Cassia laughed.

Don grinned at her, those adorable dimples of his appearing on his cheeks. "Come on," he told her. "I have an idea."

He grabbed her hand and together they ran through the mostly empty halls. He guided her to the grounds and made a beeline for the lake.

As they ran they dropped their bags and Cassia tried to stop but he tugged her onwards.

"What about our shoes?" she cried.

"Live a little!"

Don and Cassia crashed into the frigid waters of the lake, tripping over and falling face-first.

"It's freezing!" Cassia sputtered.

Don laughed breathlessly. "Let's swim a little," he suggested. "Get warm."

Cassia had learnt to swim on Regulus' house at the beach. Her brother had taught her and she had spent days and days looking for fishes.

"I really hope the Giant Squid stays where he should," Cassia told her friend struggling to stay afloat with her robes dragging her down.

"But how cool would it be, huh?"

She was starting to feel her limbs when Dora, Charlie and Eli appeared on the shore.

"You are bonkers!" Eli called out to them mid-laughter.

Dora was already getting rid of her shoes.

Charlie stared at her. "You're not getting in too, are you?"

"'Course," she huffed. "Are you a chicken?"

Charlie glared at her and also kneeled to unlace his shoes. Eli laughed at them both.

"You are so silly," she told them. "There's no way I'm getting in."

She should have known better than to say that. Charlie and Dora shared a look and lunged at the blonde girl. Eli squealed and convulsed in their arms as Charlie grabbed her arms and Dora her legs.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Dora winced when she walked into the water. "Merlin, it's bloody freezing!"

Charlie gave a very manly squeak.

It was almost painful to see them make their way through the water very, very slowly. Eli just kept arching upwards, clinging at Charlie's arms and shoulders to stay out of reach from the water.

"Don't let me go," she begged.

Charlie smirked. "What? You want us to let you go?" he winked at Dora. "You hear that?"

"DON'T DROP ME, YOU IDIOTS!"

They dropped her.

Dora and Charlie were in the middle of a swimming competition, with the others cheering for them, when the two Slytherins of their group finally appeared.

"See?" Gina smirked at Nick. "I told you they would be by the lake."

"They are _in_ the lake," Nick corrected her.

Gina huffed. "Well, I'm not getting in."

"Remember what happened last time!" Cassia shouted from the lake.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Gina shouted back.

They dared.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Slytherin won the House Cup for second year in a row, a fact that Gina liked to gloat over. They got their exams' results, still surprisingly good, and Cassia decided to chuck Arithmancy out the window.

"I will not spend another year like this," she told a distressed Gina.

"But I can help you!"

"You have better things to do," Cassia smiled. "Besides, what are the chances that I will end up with a job that needs it?"

"Now you've gone and jinxed it."

Don was delighted to learn he could literally throw Cassia's Arithmancy book out the Hogwart's Express' window.

It landed on a big, and probably smelly, cow poop.

Cassia took it as a sign.

.

.

Regulus was waiting for her in the Platform and Cassia jumped into his arms for a hug, much to his surprise.

"Hi!" she grinned at him.

Regulus looked down at her, not as down at it used to be. "Stop growing!"

Cassia now reached his chin and Regulus wasn't exactly a short man. It made him miss the times when she just came up by his waist.

She stood by his side and eyed the remaining distance with glee. "Don't worry," she told him. "I think I'm done now."

"You better be."

He took her to Horizontal Alley instead of straight home because 'he had news'.

Cassia was almost expecting for him to announce he had gotten married in the half year they hadn't seen each other.

They went for dinner at their favourite place: The Siren's Song. It was very posh and fancy but Cassia had been going there since she had memory.

"Do you remember _The Weekly Eagle_?" Regulus asked her once they had ordered.

"Do you mean do I remember the newspaper you have been trying to make since I was ten?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't get cheeky," he scolded her.

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Yes, I remember it," she said. "Have you finally gotten enough investors and redactors?"

"No. I've found something else."

Cassia was intrigued. "Something else? But you have always wanted to write your own newspaper."

"Well, I got offered my own segment in the WWN."

"The Wizarding Wireless Network?!"

Regulus smiled at her surprise. "That one. They want me one hour each evening, right after _Witching Hour_."

"What will you talk about?"

"It's called _The Black Sheep_. It's about politics and with debates and interviews. They want to entertain but also make some controversy, spark conversations among the people, and keeping them entertained and informed at the same time."

"You didn't think of the name, did you?"

Regulus laughed. "No."

"Thank, Merlin."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia got to listen to her brother a lot. Every evening she and Kreacher sat by the wireless and listened as Regulus tried to start some fires.

He talked about all kind of topics: musicians, politicians, _muggles_, aurors, schooling, St. Mungo's, Professor Dumbledore…

He also talked about the war. And about himself.

"Just… imagine this. Your whole life people have been making sure you know one thing. Just one thing. You are superior. Superior than everyone. Than _muggles_, than _muggleborns_, than halfbloods and blood traitors and even other purebloods. You are superior. At your home is the first thing they teach you and even at school everybody treats you like you're bloody royalty."

Cassia could count with the fingers of one hand the times she had heard Regulus cuss.

"And when your brother dares to step out the set path he is punished, severely. And the only person who really cared about you starts to slip away, finding his own friends. Meanwhile everybody keeps you at a distance but you don't mind because _you are better than them anyway_. And then someone comes along who notices you, who appreciates your talent. And your whole family thinks he is the best thing to come around since the _accio_ spell.

"So you join him because your family approves of him and that's what you have been searching all along, isn't it? Your family's approval. You are just a second son and anything you do will never be enough in their eyes. But this… this might be it. And people there really appreciate you, you think you have found true friends at last."

Regulus scoffed as if laughing at his younger self's naivety.

"But then the killings start. And the tortures. And you look at yourself and ask 'How have I become a part of this?' You are ashamed and you try to make it better. To find a way to defeat him. To run away and hide. But you can't just leave the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord just like that."

Regulus laughed bitterly.

"My father told me of the _Fidelius Charm_ and we made my sister the Secret Keeper because nobody would think of her. My little sister. I made my seven-year-old sister the shield protecting me from a band of ruthless, bloodthirsty killers. And she didn't even hesitate to say 'yes'. She was the only light I could see in that darkness, my constellation. Still is."

Two fat tears escaped Cassia's eyes and ran down her cheeks. She sniffled and cleared them with her sleeve.

"The Death Eaters killed my father and my sister and I spent the next years hiding in the shadows, waiting. And when everything was finally over, when I thought I was free at last, people kept judging me because I had been a foolish boy of sixteen who had been told his whole life he was superior and he had dared to believe it."

Cassia was sure her brother's last transmission had made an impact in the whole wizarding Britain.


	8. And there were four

**So... today I had my first day back at uni... was a bit exhausting. (I'm in my fourth and, hopefully, final year, in case you were wondering).**

**Also, I may or may not have written this while listen to the **_**Mamma Mia **_**soundtrack on a loop.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you can recognize is mine.**

**And there were four.**

Cassia started her fourth year at Hogwarts with a bang.

Literally.

As they were making their way down the train, Dora slipped and she grabbed the nearest thing trying to keep upright. The nearest thing turned out to be a surprised Cassia and both girls went down, bouncing down the stairs and crashing against the cold floor of the Platform.

Well, Cassia crashed against the floor and Dora crashed against Cassia.

The fall had broken the older girl's wrist and she had to make her way to the infirmary as soon as the carriages dropped them at Hogwarts.

Cassia had been in the infirmary a lot of times, but she had gone there mostly to visit Dora (who basically had a bed with her name on). Madam Pomfrey even looked behind her to spot the clumsy girl behind her.

"No Tonks this time?" she asked with amusement.

"She landed on me," grumbled Cassia.

Madam Pomfrey laughed at her and with a wave of her wand set her wrist right. Then she made a tight sling appear on her arm and told her not to move it.

"With the number of injuries that girl has caused on herself and others she could end up being a good healer," Madam Pomfrey told her.

Cassia laughed. "She would rather make things blow up."

The older witch took a good look at her. "What about you?" she asked now more seriously.

"I-I don't know," she stammered. "I hadn't considered it."

"Well, do it," said Madam Pomfrey. "You have a level head and a kind heart. We could use you."

.

.

"Do you think I would make a good healer?"

Gina and Cassia were lying on the ground underneath their tree. They were alone, which was really uncommon those days, and had been reading in silence until Cassia had spoken.

Gina lowered her book. "Do you want to be a healer?"

"I don't know? Maybe."

"Then, sure, you would be a great healer," Gina shrugged as if it was the easiest question in the world.

"Really?"

"Cass, you could be anything you wanted and be great at it if you set your mind to it. You just have to find what would really make you happy."

Cassia stared at her best friend with huge eyes and a trembling lip. "Thank you," she sniffled. "You are the greatest friend a girl could ever want."

And she trapped the other girl in a tight hug. Gina yelped and squirmed. Seeing that there was no freeing herself from the other girl's grip she returned the hug.

"Merlin, you get so emotional when you are about to have your period," she huffed.

Cassia laughed into her shoulder. "So do you," she said. "I've seen you crying over and advert on _Sleakeasy_."

"It was beautifully written, alright?"

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

That summer Cassia had bought herself a radio. A portable, magical radio so she could listen her brother's show at Hogwarts, too.

Each evening Dora and Cassia lay on the floor of the fourth years' room, sometimes alone and sometimes with some of Cassia's roommates, listening to Regulus Black trying to change the world.

His speech about how it had been for him during the War had been a turning point for _The Black Sheep_. Everybody had talked about it for weeks, the Daily Prophet had written about it, too.

Regulus' bosses had been delighted.

The show started to gain more popularity and some really important people started coming to talk in the segment. Regulus had lots of connections, too, and he made good use of them.

"Good evening everybody. I'm Regulus Black and you're listening _The Black Sheep_. Just let me give you a warning: things are going to get real."

At Hogwarts there were talks about Regulus' segment around the halls. Gina told her she had seen some of her housemates gathering around the radio in most evenings. Don and Eli assured her that in their towers was the same.

Regulus sent Cassia a T-shirt. It was supposed to be his but he would never wear something so _muggle_. So to Cassia it went.

It was very simple, just plain black. In white was written 'Things are about to get real' in the back and a logo for _The Black Sheep_ in the front. It was several sizes too big, reaching Cassia's mid-tight and with supposed short sleeves but that almost covered all of her upper arm.

She wore it to sleep. Some housemates, though, had seen her with it on lazy weekend mornings and fawned over it.

"Where did you get it?"

"My brother sent it to me. The WWN gave it to him but he didn't want it."

"You mean this is official merchandising?! Could you get me one? I'll pay you!"

And that was how Cassia found herself selling T-shirts at Hogwarts and even making somewhat of a profit.

When she came home for Christmas, Regulus took her to the office to talk with some important people.

"This is Edgar Halloway," he introduced her to a tall, thin, blonde man with huge glasses. "He's in charge of making the show gain more popularity."

Edgar smiled at Cassia. "So I've heard you have been selling some T-shirts?"

Cassia shrugged. "Some people saw me with the one that was supposed to be Regulus and asked me for one. I wrote Regulus to see if he could send me some and you know the rest. Kids at Hogwarts love them."

It only seemed to make his smile bigger. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. How would you like to be our Official Hogwarts Sales Representative?" he asked. "You would get a profit, of course."

She blinked. "You mean you would pay me?"

Regulus was there to help with the finest negotiations of the contract. She even had a contract. She would sell T-shirts, badges, robes, posters, firmed photographs…

"Have you thought of recording some of the episodes?" she asked them. "You could sell them as records."

Mr. Halloway looked at her like she was a gold mine.

After all the details were ironed out Cassia and Mr. Halloway shook hands.

"Would you like to do a couple of episodes with your brother?" he asked in the end.

"No," said Regulus.

"But-" Mr. Halloway started to argue.

"Just no." And Regulus' tone left no other choice.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

All of July and most of August Regulus had to leave for some special summer edition of the programme. He was supposed to travel around the wizarding world, different countries, and interview some important figures of those countries.

Most of them didn't know they were going to be interviewed.

"I could come with you," said Cassia.

Regulus blanched. "No, no way," he said.

"Why?"

"You are already on their sights, I don't know what they would do if they had two months with you. You have a big reputation for a fifteen year old, I don't want it to get bigger. It gets messy and I don't wish that for you."

Cassia had told him she could stay home alone with Kreacher.

Regulus had told her she could go and stay with the Malfoys.

They ended up agreeing she would go and stay with her friends.

Cassia made an itinerary.

Gina was out of the question since she, regretfully, was leaving for Italy the whole summer. Her father had emotionally blackmailed her, telling her she should spend some time with her grandmother while she still had the chance. When that hadn't proved as effective as he had hoped he told her it was that or start working in the ice-cream shop.

Gina decided that the Italian sun wouldn't harm her so much.

So the first week she would spend at Dahlia's and Tina's house. Even if she loved them she knew a week was more than enough of their love and cuteness. She would still see them through the summer, but a week staying with them would be enough.

Then came Nick and the Warringtons, Charlie and the Weasleys, Don and his _muggle _parents (Regulus didn't need to know about that part) and last of all the Tonkses.

Eli's mother had just had a baby, a girl, and it wasn't really the best time for Eli to invite a guest over for a week. And she would need to escape the house a lot too, she had assured.

Regulus dropped her off at Dahlia's doorstep bright and early the last day of June. They had bought a flat in the middle of London and in that week Tina showed her how to move around with the tube and different buses. One afternoon Alexa came to pick her up and they hung out for the rest of the day, buying clothes and doing some sightseeing.

She also sought advice from Dahlia.

"How did you know you wanted to be a midwife?" she asked.

They were sitting together in the sofa, Regulus' show on the background. Tina and Dahlia were cuddled up together and Cassia had her legs curled up underneath her as she hugged a cushion.

"I asked myself what I liked to do, what I was good at and what I wanted to do for the world," she said. "I liked kids so at first I thought maybe I could work in the Child's Ward at St. Mungo's. But then one day I was with my family when my Aunt Camellia's water broke. Everybody broke into a panic and they didn't know what to do but to me… to me everything slowed and focused and I knew I had found my calling," Dahlia grinned at her. "Are you considering a career in obstetrics?"´

That was a fancy word. "I don't know. Perhaps."

Dahlia's gaze was warm. "You're still young. You have a lot of time to consider it," she said. "I will answer any questions you have. I could even ask to see if you could come by one day to see what it's like."

Cassia gaped at her. "Really?"

"Really," she laughed.

.

.

Nick's family consisted of his father and himself. His mother had died in childbirth and his father had never quite recovered. Cassia understood now why Nick was so quiet.

It reminded her a bit of her childhood, the serious, pureblood household. His father wasn't really around, working hard the last days before his holidays. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with his son, the only thing he had left, and he was working to get it.

Nick told her about the trips they did all summers, travelling the world. He had seen so many places it made her a bit envious.

His room was full of souvenirs and he had a big world map on top of his bed with the countries he had seen glowing blue.

There was a lot of blue.

They talked a lot those days about their hopes, their fears, their dreams. They also made good work of his backyard and his brooms.

"You fly well," he told her.

"I spent two years alone in a home with my brother. He needed some way to entertain us and he had been a seeker at Hogwarts after all. There was a lot of flying around."

"Good thing you're not in the team."

.

.

The Weasley's home was messy and lived in. It felt like a home should be and Cassia liked it a lot.

"I know it's not what you're used to…" Mrs. Weasley fussed with some clothes sprawled over a sofa. "These boys don't know how to clean."

"It's great!" Cassia assured her honestly.

She slept in Ginny's room, Charlie's little sister. The girl was just five, a tiny thing with bright red hair and Charlie's brown eyes.

At first she seemed a bit intimidated by her and Cassia felt bad for stealing part of her room. Then one day she had seen Cassia's nail polish and the older girl had offered to do her nails. Since Ginny couldn't decide which colour, she ended up doing them all different colours and did the same to hers to match.

There was a lot of _quidditch _too, with Bill, who Cassia had found out was pretty cool, and Charlie and the twins, Fred and George, who were just eight but were already devils on the sky.

Cassia had gotten some good bruises from their bludgers.

On the last night of her week at the Weasley home, the Burrow, conversation turned to what she would do next.

"It's Don's time," she said. "I'm spending two weeks there. I think his parents are more eager to have me there than he is," she laughed. "It seems he doesn't tell them a lot about magic."

"Don is a _muggleborn_," Charlie clarified to his parents.

"You're friends with a _muggleborn_?" Fred, or maybe George, asked.

"Yes, what about it?"

"But you're a Black!" said the other twin.

"Fred and George Weasley!" screeched Mrs. Weasley. "Apologize right now!"

Cassia smiled calmly. "No, don't worry about it, Mrs. Weasley," she said before turning back to the twins. "Yes, I'm a Black and he's a _muggleborn_. What about it?" she repeated.

The twins stared at her for some long seconds and Cassia glanced from one to the other. There was a tense silence around the table until they both grinned.

"Nothing!" one said.

"That's so cool!" added the other.

And Bill quickly changed conversation, asking her if she knew the story of the time he had put cockroaches on Snape's office.

"And that's why now he has all those spells warding his office."

"William Weasley!"

"It was a bet, Mum!

.

.

Don lived in Arklow, a _muggle_ town an hour away from Dublin. His parents were very kind and asked Cassia thousand questions about magic. Don grumbled at them but Cassia could see the love the three of them shared.

Mrs. Tremlett was a music teacher. It was from her that Don had gotten his passion for music. His father worked as a dentist, a kind of _muggle_ healer for teeth.

Don introduced her to his _muggle_ friends from before he came to Hogwarts and they taught her some _muggle_ games and sports. He showed her around the town and on her third day they hitched a ride with Mr. Tremlett to Dublin, where they spent the day.

The Tremlett's house had a room dedicated to music. There were books about music and vinyl records, cassettes and discs filling two big bookcases. In the corners there were also at least three different machines to play music and even an old gramophone like Cassia's father had.

There were lots of music sheets spewed around the room. A couple of books filled with them rested on a black leather couch. There was a table with a couple of chairs in one corner of the room also covered with half-written sheet music.

In the middle of the room there was a big piano, but it was not the only instrument. There were a couple of acoustic guitars and another two electric ones, a bass, a set of drums, a violin, a trumpet, an electric piano and even a synthesiser.

"My Mum and Dad like music a lot," Don shrugged at her astonished face.

They spent a lot of time in that room, messing around and playing one song after another. Mostly when it rained, and it rained quite a lot.

Cassia was playing the piano with her eyes closed and her head thrown back as Don joined her with the electric guitar, also giving his everything.

"_Knowing me, knowing you_," she sang.

"_Ahaaa_," chorused Don.

"_There is nothing we can do. Knowing me, knowing you_."

"_Ahaaa_."

"_We just have to face it this time_," and with this Don started singing his part and Cassia couldn't really pay attention to him if she didn't want to get distracted._ "we're through."_

(_This time we're through, this time we're really through, this time we're through, we're really through_.)

"_Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have_," and Don went back again to singing "_to go_."

(_I have to go, this time I have to go, this time I know_.)

"_Knowing me, knowing you, it's the best I can do_," she finished.

There was a clapping from the door. "That sounded really good, guys."

Don yelped. "Mum!"

"You really think so?" Cassia blushed red.

Mrs. Tremlett smirked. "Trust me, I know about these things," she winked at her. "Don didn't tell me you played so well."

"Didn't he?"

Mrs. Tremlett's eyes were sparkling. "Maybe you can find a couple more people and start that bad you've always wanted."

It was Don's turn to blush now. "_Mum_!"

"You didn't tell me you wanted to be a musician!" Cassia said delighted. "Although, it makes sense."

"Yeah, well, the band things it's just a silly dream," he huffed.

Cassia eyed him cocking her head. "I want us to start a band," she claimed.

Don's eyes widened but then he scoffed. "There's only two of us, we can't form a band that way."

"Like we'd be the first," Cassia shared an exasperated look with Mrs. Tremlett. "Besides, we can ask the others. "I know Gina and Nick will say no but maybe Charlie and Eli… Did you know that Dora plays the piano?"

His eyes widened with surprise. "Really?"

"It won't hurt to ask."

Dora was all too happy to join. "It was starting to become a _really_ boring summer," she had said. "Even my Mum is eager to have you around."

Charlie had declined. "I don't know shit about music. 'Sides, I can't really leave my Mum with all of my brothers to herself also in the summer. She will kill me!"

Eli had also accepted and she had stared with wide eyes at Don's music studio. She and Dora had flooed to Dublin and then flown to Arklow on their brooms.

"Is there anything you know how to play?" Don asked her.

"My uncle taught me some drums," Eli said shyly.

Don half-pushed her towards his set. "Let's see it then."

Eli grabbed the drumsticks he offered her a bit shakily but then she hit them together three times and started banging on the drums with such a passion and precision they all stared at her open mouthed.

"Who the hell is your uncle?"

"George Whittaker."

Don's eyes boggled. "George 'The Sticks' Whittaker?" he asked with a strangled voice. "The George Whittaker from _Of Wandlore and Other Secrets_? _That_ George Whittaker?"

Eli shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes."

Don, who had been introduced to wizarding music by Cassia and had fallen in love with the punk-rock band of some years back, _Of Wandlore and Other Secrets_, almost fainted.

"So… we have a band then?" Dora grinned at them.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Sirius wishes he was as popular as Cassia will be now that she's in a band.**

**Also, we all need Punk!Dorain our lives, sorrynotsorry.**

**Hope you liked it.**

**MW.**


	9. Music of the soul

**I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALLOF YOU! When you update your story and it appears on the recent works list, is the last chapter, the one you have JUST updated, not there or is it just me?**

**Or have they fixed it by now?**

**Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: You know the deal.**

**Music of the soul.**

They spent a lot of time going over to Don's house that summer but, when Cassia went to spend twenty days with the Tonks, they went to Diagon Alley some days too.

When their Hogwarts letters came a shiny badge was on Cassia's.

"Well, it's really not a surprise that you got prefect," Dora told her.

Andromeda was all-too-proud. "Well, this we have to celebrate," she said. "Ted I and were both prefects, too," she told them.

"That's how we became friends," Ted added.

Cassia thought of writing a letter to Regulus but decided to surprise him instead when he came home. Letters to the rest of her friends told her that Gina had gotten prefect, too, as well as Nick.

"No one in their right mind would make Don a prefect," Cassia told the Tonks family with a snort.

Dora couldn't agree more.

Dahlia's answering letter was basically a page full of praises and incomprehensible sentences. «_I was a prefect too_» it ended. «_Don't worry, you'll have fun and you will do fine. Love, Dahls_».

.

.

Regulus collected her from the Tonks' household the twenty-first of August. He was on his own holiday now.

Cassia greeted him with the prefect badge pinned to her chest.

At first Regulus was a bit taken aback but then a smile spread through his lips. "They would have been idiots not to have picked you."

That year they went to Australia. The magical community there was very colourful and the magical districts were simply stunning. There were a lot of magical creatures and they even went in a tour on the wilderness with an expert magizoologist who told them all about the animals they saw.

Regulus asked her what she wanted to celebrate her new status as prefect. She told him to bring her to Side Alley, in the magical district, and she went straight for the music shop.

If a little perplexed, Regulus consented on buying her a magical piano, which looked a lot like a digital piano but wasn't powered by electricity. It could be shrunk with just a press of a switch and it fit in Cassia's palm.

"What do you want this for?" Regulus asked her.

Cassia played innocent. "Didn't I tell you? My friends and I started a band."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Gina, Nick and Charlie, even if they weren't officially a part of the band, were still a part of the band. And so they had voting rights on thinks like the name of the band.

It was what they couldn't decide on, the name of the band.

Cassia wanted _The three legged cat_ in honour of Helios but nobody liked her idea.

Don went more along the lines of _Inferno_ or _The seven fires of hell_. Nobody liked them either.

Gina was the one to set them on the right path. "It shouldn't be something that sounds cool," she told Don. "It should be something that represents you."

"Us," Cassia corrected.

"_Two lions, two badgers, two snakes and an eagle walk into a bar_?" Eli suggested.

They all laughed.

"Too long," said Gina. "But you're on the right path."

They were sitting underneath their three, Cassia with her head on Gina's lap as the blonde girl wrote on a _muggle_ notebook. Dora and Eli had their feet on the water, Charlie lay on the grass, his head cushioned by his arms, and Nick was close to Gina and Cassia, his back against the tree. Don was half reclined against a boulder, his guitar on his hands as he strummed softly.

Nick was the one to come up with the name. "_Second impressions_," he stated.

All the eyes turned to him. "How come?" Don asked him.

Nick pointed at him. "A _muggleborn_," he said. "A Black, a metamorphmagus…"

"They chubby girl with glasses," Eli finished for him.

Eli was really self-conscious about herself, but mostly her weight. She had spent most of her years at Hogwarts on a diet and doing rigorous exercise. It was almost no surprise that year she'd made the Ravenclaw _quidditch_ team. A chaser.

Cassia hoped between _quidditch _and the band her confidence shot up.

"All of us give wrong first impressions," she said, catching on what Nick wanted to say. "So people should really be concentrating on the ones we give after. We are much more than a _muggleborn_, a Black, a metamorphmagus and a chubby girl with glasses."

And that was how they got a name.

.

.

Hogwarts had a _muggle_ music club and an orchestra club, both extracurricular. They had instruments there and they lent it to them a couple of afternoons a week. They practiced Mondays and Thursdays after dinner. Most days Charlie, Gina and Nick came to see them, since they were mostly messing around and having fun.

Still, one day when they were the four of them alone they got a silent visitor.

"_I have spent all my years in believing you_," Cassia sang with Dora, Don and Eli joining her at 'believing you'. "_But I just can't get no relief, Lord_," they all went together. "_Somebody_."

"_Somebody_," answered Don, Dora and Eli.

"_Uh, somebody_."

"_Somebody_," they chorused. "_Can anybody find me-_?" they all sang together.

Cassia finished the verse alone. "_Somebody to love_," she crooned.

Dora was on Cassia's piano while she had the orchestra's not-quite-electric guitar but close enough. Eli was in the drums and Don by Cassia's side played the also-not-quite-electric-but-almost bass.

Cassia walked around the classroom messing with Dora's hair as she played and sang, posing together with Don and making faces with Eli.

"_Find me, find me, find me love_."

"Wow," an unknown voice from the door made them all jump with surprise. "You guys are good."

There was a Ravenclaw seventh year in the door of the classroom. He was looking at them with a keen, observing eye, as if looking for all their weaknesses.

It was a bit unsettling.

"I'm having this party this Friday," he said. "It's my girlfriend's birthday. I had planned on just bringing a radio but you guys are better. Do you take requests?"

That day they found themselves with their first gig.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

When Gina was thirteen she had decided she wanted to be a journalist. In her fourth year she had started a campaign to recruit some students for a school newspaper (as Don had told her they did in some _muggle_ schools). Then she realized she probably needed permission from the teachers and started a secondary campaign.

By her fifth year she got it and _Hogwarts Weekly_ started. Each Friday morning newspapers could be found in most of the students' hands.

She was the main redactor and editor, she wrote articles about things students needed to know and a special on the important news that had happened that week. Alice Hoops, a Gryffindor third year wrote the section on sports, Diana Brown, sixth year Ravenclaw, the gossip column and advice. Hortensia Blythe, Gina's roommate, did the interviews and 'The Person of the Week' special, Uriah Cooper, fourth year Ravenclaw, did the horoscopes and predictions of the week and, lastly, Thomas Abbot, a Ravenclaw in their year, was in charge of the comic strips and crosswords.

A week after the party in Ravenclaw, Hortensia Blythe cornered her in the bathroom while she was cleaning her hands.

"Cassiopeia Black, the Dark Princess of Hufflepuff. Everybody's favourite pureblood, all sugar and spice and everything nice. Who are you really?"

Cassia blinked at her. "We have been going to class together for five years. You should know who I am."

"It's for my column, you idiot," Blythe huffed. "What are your deepest, darkest secrets?"

Cassia gaped at her for a second and then… "Do people really call me 'the Dark Princess of Hufflepuff'?"

.

.

"Who on earth calls you 'the Dark Princess of Hufflepuff'?" Dora chortled. "Morgana's love, I really have to tell my mother. She will be laughing for _weeks_."

Cassia pouted at Gina. "How could you let her write this?"

Her friend just smirked.

"«With eyes that glow silver, a hair as dark as night and a skin pale as the moon she's like a personification of the night sky. Beautiful yet distant»" Don read from the paper.

It set them all into a fit of giggles once again.

"We should make a song," Dora said. "The Dark Princess of Hufflepuf / seems hard as ice and pretty tough / but really she's just a big ball of fluff."

"She's has the colours and the beauty of the night, but everybody knows she has the brightest sun inside," Eli added.

Eli and Don ended up making a song and it was catchy enough that the whole school kept singing it for months to come.

By the end of the year they all had their pieces done. Donaghan "The Four-Leaf Clover" Tremlett, Nymphadora "The Rainbow Girl" Tonks, Charlie "The Red Dragon" Weasley, Elisa "Blue Lightning" Fawley and Nicomedes "The Raven" Warrington. Since Gina ran the newspaper she saved herself from her own article.

It was a good move seeing that each time Hortensia Blythe wrote an article about them they turned it into a song.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia's stand of _The Black Sheep _merchandising was set up the first Sunday of every month by the entrance of the Great Hall. She stayed there from ten in the morning until dinner but her friends made her company and brought her some things for lunch and lots of water.

In the hours where nobody came by she also made the most of it and did some of her homework.

Then, one day in May, a first year came to her.

"Hi," she said warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"You are Cassiopeia Black from _Second Impressions_, right?"

It was nice to be known as 'Cassiopeia Black from _Second Impressions_' instead of 'Cassiopeia Black, the girl whose whole family has gone to jail'. But since their concert in the Ravenclaw tower and the success of _The Dark Princess of Hufflepuff_ their group had started to gain popularity. In the parties after the games they were invited and expected to sing, obviously. In some of the older years' birthday parties, too.

"Yes, I am."

"So… um… do you have like a record or something? My cousin left last year and he'd really like to know the song that everybody is talking about."

Cassia was a bit taken aback. "Oh… um… I'd have to talk with the rest of the band. But if we make one you will be the first to know. What's your name?"

"Christoph Greene."

.

.

Gina was the most enthusiastic of them all. "But you can make money out of this!"

Since Charlie was the best at drawing he got left in charge of making the logos for the band.

"Maybe we can sell some t-shirts, too," Don had said. "Like you do with _The Black Sheep_!"

"But how do we even record our songs? Hogwarts doesn't have the equipment," said Cassia.

Eli cleared her throat. "I can ask my uncle," she said. "I'm sure he can help us."

Don squealed at the notion of George Whittaker helping them.

Charlie's logo turned out to be pretty cool. _Second Impressions _was written on the top in cursive letters and slightly curved, underlining it there was a rainbow. As if the rainbow was a cloud, a blue lighting came from it and connecting to a black crowned four-leaf clover. Making a circle with the name of the band was written, in slightly smaller letters, _How about you take another look?_ Enclosing everything neatly.

George Whittaker answering letter came week later.

_Eli-melly!_

_How come you didn't tell me you were in a band? The second you all played a note together you should have sent a letter to your dear old uncle to tell him "Hey, Uncle George, you know what? I'm in a band!" But no! I have to hear months later because you need my help._

_I shouldn't help you just for that._

_Oh, who am I kidding? You're in a band, kiddo! That's so great! It seems all those hours you begged me to teach you how to bang them sticks were worth it._

_So I talked with Mike Orpington, you know, the guy who owns the recording studio me and my mates go. I thought if you were going to record something you better do it in style. He says since you are still young and my family he can let you do one record for half the price. Remember, that's five or six songs per side usually. So choose well._

_I'll come with you to help you out and take you there. I could even pick you up at Hogsmeade._

_Anyway, he says you can come by next weekend. So, what do you say?_

_You're in awe, aren't you?_

_Love,_

_George._

"I'm going to meet George Whittaker," Don had to sit down on the table.

Cassia grinned at Eli. "We can do it next weekend."

"Next weekend? Have you lost your mind?" Gina scoffed.

"What? Why? What's next weekend?"

Gina stared at her like she was crazy. "We have O.W.L.s in June, remember?"

"Oh, bloody hell."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

The O.W.L.s caused a wave of mass hysteria among the fifth years. Students could be found at the most random of times and places with a textbook or just their notes, going over everything in a desperate frenzy.

Cassia would have liked to say she was immune to it, but she wasn't.

They spent the whole month and a half previous to the O.W.L.s almost not leaving the library. Cassia had taken Don's example and had stuck with _muggle_ notebooks to make some summaries of her notes from the past years. She had ten whole notebooks

Gina had picked up the horrendous habit of quizzing them at the most unexpected times. Cassia would thank her later, but during those days she wanted to strangle her a little bit.

There was a black market of several items that assured more proficiency and cerebral capacity. Gina, Cassia and Nick had to close several of them. Luckily they saw them approach (Cassia with her Black looks, Gina with her permanently angry face and Nick with his towering height and muscles) and didn't put up much of a fuss.

The professors also seemed worried, trying to make them remember as much knowledge and helpful tips as possible.

Cassia was so nervous and worried she could hardly eat. One day Gina sat her down and refused to let either of them study until she ate a full meal. Cassia knew what that meant for Gina and she felt so touched and guilty she ate all of it without complaints.

They had one exam a day during two weeks, the written one in the morning and the practical one in the afternoon. In Cassia's point of view, it only made the panic last longer.

She and Don spent a lot of time eating nuts and bananas because he assured they helped. Gina told her it was the same reason people tried to buy powered dragon claw but Cassia argued that this was completely innocent.

"Bananas have lots of potassium!" Don assured.

Being called Black, Cassia was always on the first group to be examined in the practical O.W.L.s. Charms was their first one and, since it was one of Cassia's favourite subjects, she even enjoyed it.

Professor Tofty, a nice old man and her examiner, smiled at her. "Well, that was delightful."

Cassia breathed out a sigh of relief and beamed back. "Thanks!"

Even through the stress they quickly picked up a routine. Each evening they revised for the theory exam of the next day and in the afternoons they practised for the exam they had afterwards.

It was just a way to refresh everything they had been studying for more than a month straight.

The Transfiguration exam was on Tuesday and, with it being Cassia's best subject, she breezed through it. With the Charms exams and the Transfiguration ones going so well she got such a good and hopeful mood that nothing could bring her down.

She spent most of the weekend studying for the Potions exams, since it was her worst subject, alongside History of Magic. But while she could afford a bad mark on History of Magic, she needed an Outstanding on Potions if she wanted to get into Snape's N.E.W.T class and pursue a career in healing.

Nick helped her a lot.

In the end it wasn't so bad and she surprised even herself. Maybe it was because she didn't have Professor Snape glaring at her the whole time or making snide comments, but she welcomed the change.

Her last exam was History of Magic, on Thursday, and since one of the questions which counted the most was about the formation of the International Confederation of Wizards (which she and Don had made into a song weeks ago because they had been so bored when studying it) and another was Grindelwald's movement and war (which her family had been severely involved), she could say she had done well enough.

After the exam, since it was the last one they all had, first Gina and then Cassia with Nick waited for Don. When the boy was done they made the traditional run towards the lake. Dora, Eli and Charlie were waiting for them there, even if they hadn't really finished their exams, and joined them in the water.

Some of the others fifth years who had also been milling around and enjoying their freedom, decided to copy them. And then some other students of different years, thought it was a good idea and also jumped into the water.

In the end Professor McGonagall had to go and kick them out because they were disturbing the Giant Squid and the lake was not for swimming.

"What are lakes for, then?" Don called.

He got detention for the remaining weeks left of term.

"It was worth it," he told them. "It was so worth it."

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Guest: For some strange reason my brain let me believe all the members of the Black family had died in 1979 because of reasons. I've checked the wiki and lo and behold Cygnus and Cassiopeia Black (the first) should still be alive. Uppps.**

**SO! So more info I'll probably add on the earlier chapters when I'm in the mood. So Imma headcanon the hell out of Cygnus and Cassiopeia, the two C's. Behold an essay:**

**Cygnus disinherited Andromeda (well, maybe it was Walburga) so I can't see him like a fun and caring parent. Or uncle. He probably is a hardcore pureblood supremacist. Also, he's lost his wife, one of his daughters is in Azkaban, and the other is no longer his daughter. To me he retired and left his assets and whatever to his daughter (Lucius Malfoy tried to get his hands on it but Cygnus was like HahahahahaNOPE, this is Narcissa's and Draco's you peacock). He has the equivalent of poker parties with his very influential friends, almost doesn't leave the house, scoffs at the Daily Prophet and from time to time pays surprise visits to Narcissa just to annoy the hell out of Lucius. He always buys Draco useless and expensive gifts Draco never uses. He and Regulus have lively political arguments but get on well enough and he simply can't understand Cassia. Cassia doesn't like him very much and from time to time updates him on how Andormeda and Dora are doing. (Regulus wants to strangle her but Cassia knows Cygnus likes to know about his daughter deep down.)**

**Now, Cassiopeia the first. She never married or had any children. Maybe she was a closeted lesbian and the world didn't let her accept it. Or she was just asexual or aromantic. Or maybe she was just a bitch. Imma go with the first one, though. As the eldest daughter of the Black family she was expected to marry well and have children and everything, after all. I imagine her a bit like Oleanna Tyrell: very sassy and takes no shit from anyone. She appears in family dinners during Christmas and the like, chews everybody out and complains about the food. Cassia feels sorry for her but also admires her a bit. Cassiopeia was the one who encouraged Cassia to play the piano and smirked when she learnt Cassia was in Hufflepuff. She enjoys calling Cygnus an idiot and Regulus a silly child, can't stand Draco. Says Narcissa and Cassia are the only ones worth the while. A feminist.**

**Thank you all, welcome to my TED Talk. Also, I'm open to suggestions on how they die.**

**MW.**


	10. We are young

**Almost what… three months later?**

**I'm sorry, people.**

**But here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine.**

**We are young.**

That summer Regulus stayed in Britain and Cassia made up with the time they had lost the last one. She hadn't really talked with him for over a year and it was nice to reconnect with her brother.

She still hung out with her friends and Regulus even apparated her more than once to Diagon Alley. Even if they had the Floo he told her she needed to start getting used to apparition if she wanted to pass her exam that year.

He was there when the owl came with her O.W.L's. Regulus looked like a peacock, puffing his chest like that whenever he met with anybody and told them that his sister had gotten nine O.W.L.s: five Outstanding's and four Exceed the Expectations.

Cassia, who had somehow managed Outstanding's in Ancient Runes ("I've always liked languages, Reg, you know that!"), Charms ("Do _not_ make the pun you are wanting to make, Cassiopeia Black!"), Transfiguration ("Sirius was too good at Transfiguration, too"), Potions ("I really don't know how I managed that, I mean, I studied very hard and all but… it's _Potions_") and Defence Against the Dark Arts ("You've been raised in this stuff, I would even have been disappointed if you didn't get an O"), battled between pride and embarrassment.

"Do you have to keep bringing it up?" she whined at him.

"Yes," he said simply.

He even mentioned it on the wireless, one day he had Professor Tofty as his guest and they both talked about the O.W.L.s and the N.E.W.T.s.

"Oh, yeah, I remember her," Professor Tofty said. "I examined her in her Charms and Transfiguration practicals. She was a joy to see, casting spells with such an ease and elegance. She has great talent."

Regulus didn't come off his cloud for _weeks_ after that.

.

.

Dahlia was also a bit like a proud mama bear, much to Cassia's amusement and displeasure. She had explained Tina the importance of those exams and the similitude in the _muggle_ schooling, so Tina was also on the 'Let's Be Embarrassingly Proud of Cassia' Wagon.

Even her great aunt Cassiopeia, the one she had been named after, gave her a proud smile and told her that "maybe not all the future of the House of Black isn't so utterly lost." And for Aunt Cassiopeia that was a _huge_ compliment.

One day, near the ending of the summer, Dahlia brought her to St. Margaret's Woman's Hospital, where she worked. There they looked after new-borns and women of all ages, whether it was to do some check-ups, fertility treatments, sexual health and abortions, and even menopause. They even had a wing dedicated to safe sex and sexuality, support services and a service for victims of violence and sexual assaults.

Cassia shadowed Dahlia most of the day as she visited her patients. She also followed some of her co-workers so she could see different departments and even assisted in a birth.

She came out somewhat green and with shaky knees but truly amazed.

Dahlia followed her, cleaning the blood of her hands with a towel. "Well, you didn't faint, so that's a good start. Hey, look at you! You're smiling! Maybe you _are_ made for this after all."

And Cassia started to hope that maybe there was something waiting for her after Hogwarts.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"No way! You got the captaincy?"

Charlie looked at Nick with something akin to dread.

"I was hoping it would be Bainbridge," he muttered.

Warren Bainbridge was the Keeper of the Slytherin _quidditch _team, also a sixth year, and daft as a brush. That was probably why Nick had been chosen instead, even if public speaking wasn't really his thing, and why Charlie had wanted him instead.

"Where have you left Dora?" Cassia wondered looking around.

Eli looked away from her reflection in the window she was using to apply some lipstick. "With Don," she said. "The two of us also need to go to the Prefect's carriage."

Cassia grimaced. "Right. I hope those two don't get in too much trouble."

"You are joking, right?" Charlie snorted. "It's Don and Tonks. We'll be lucky if the train doesn't explode or something."

They were the last ones to get in the compartment. Like always, it was set in a semicircle facing a blackboard and a bulletin board. Almost everybody was already there and they all turned to look at them when the door opened. Bill Weasley was Head Boy that year, alongside Patricia Wicker, a Ravenclaw. That didn't make him any more responsible, though.

He smirked at them. "Nice of you to join us at last, little brother!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Charlie blushed and groaned.

"Come on, come on," said the older Weasley. "Take a seat and then we can begin."

Some seats were free at one side but weren't enough for the five of them so they all hesitated for a second. At least until Jessica Harris waved at Cassia and saved them from actually having to make the decision.

Cassia sat with Jessica, whom she had befriended back in first year by helping her with Charms. They had lost touch on their second year, even if they still smiled at each other in the halls and talked in class from time to time.

"Hi! It's been ages since we talked," she told her.

Jess's smile was so bright that Cassia couldn't help but beam right back. It was contagious.

Bill started his speech, and even if Cassia liked him and they had become good friends during her visits at the Burrow, he was still giving almost the same speech Cassia had heard last year. And then Patricia took over and Cassia completely zoned out.

"So, how was your summer?" Jessica's whisper broke her out of her reverie.

"Oh, great. My brother took me to Egypt."

"That's so cool! I've always wanted to go there."

Cassia turned slightly so that she was almost facing her. Talking with Jess was way more interesting than listening to Patricia droning on about their duties and responsibilities. "What did you do this summer?"

"Oh, nothing much, you know? Sitting around, hanging with some mates, watching the reruns of _Doctor Who _with my mother."

"I've heard about that show!"

Jess stared at her with surprise but didn't comment. "I know Hogwarts it's great but sometimes I miss it."

"Well, Hogwarts has some pretty great things that the _muggle_ world hasn't."

"Oh, yeah?" Jessica's grin was playful. "Like what?"

"Nose-biting teacups, a _wonderful_ sense of style, four different spells for making a toast, Professor Snape," she listed. "And me, of course," she finished with a grin.

Jess hid her giggles behind her hand. "Of course," she said. "I don't know how I could live without Professor Snape."

Cassia snorted. "Hey!" she playfully poked her on the stomach.

"Okay, okay," Jessica rolled her eyes but she could hardly contain her smile. "You are pretty great, too. No one could ever surpass Professor Snape but…"

Cassia laughed lightly. "Thank you," she bowed her head. "That's all I wanted to hear."

Patricia cleared her throat. "Are we interrupting you?" she asked with an ice cold glare set on the two girls.

Cassia bit her lip and Jess shook her head. "Sorry," said the _muggleborn_. "We'll be quiet."

"You shouldn't have been speaking at all," Patricia told them with a sniff.

Cassia waited until the Head Girl had turned back to her speech to lean in towards Jess. "You shouldn't have been speaking at all," she mimicked.

Beside her, Jess shook with contained giggles.

Thankfully the speech didn't last much longer and soon they all had a sheet with their assigned patrols and the passwords to the prefect's bathroom.

"Before we let you out to roam the corridors," Bill said. "There's something I'd like to announce. Professor McGonagall told us we needed something to improve interhouse relations," he explained. "So we're throwing a party! Fifth year and up because there will be loads of alcohol and I have to be somewhat responsible."

There was a general whoop of excitement.

Patricia sighed. "I don't think this is what McGonagall had in mind."

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Bill told her.

The glare in her eyes told him she was pretty much planning on going anyway.

"The party will be on the fifth corridor, Classroom 5D, which has been empty for years. Only fifth years and up. It's on this Saturday, to celebrate our first week back. It will start at ten o'clock, past curfew, so make sure you don't get caught. Now, scram!"

Cassia stood up as Bill approached her. "You will get your band to play, right?"

"Sure!"

He nodded. "Don't worry, though, we'll bring a radio so you can also get pissed," he winked at her.

Cassia laughed. "How considerate of your part."

Jess touched her arm to catch her attention. "I have to start my patrols but see you around, okay?"

"Yeah," she grinned at the other girl. "See you around."

The rest of her friends surrounded them and Charlie punched his brother for messing with him at the meeting. Cassia rolled her eyes in Nick and Gina's direction but noticed the blonde's scowl.

"What's up with you?"

"Did you have to start flirting with Jessica Harris?" she told her. "Now there won't be getting rid of her. And it was hard enough the first time!"

"What?" Cassia snorted. "I wasn't flirting with Jessica Harris."

"You were," said Gina.

"You were," Eli smiled apologetically.

Nick nodded.

(She was).

.

.

The train didn't explode, only the compartments in the end did and they had to evacuate everybody to the compartments in the front because of the Dungbomb-Ultimate-Masterpiece-Slash-The-Fumes-of-Hell Don and Dora threw.

"I can't believe you," Gina glared at them.

It was usually a tight enough fit for the seven of them in one compartment on their own. Now they were sharing with a group of chatty second years and they couldn't be more crammed.

"What made you think of it?" Cassia was curious.

Dora shrugged. "We were bored."

It explained enough.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Don had decided that summer that they needed to wear some sort of uniform during they concerts. Not really a uniform, but they had to dress in the same style.

So it was black ripped jeans for them all and combat boots. Don wore a red leather jacket and nothing else, leaving his torso on sight, Eli a red and black stripped shirt with gashes on one sleeve, Dora a red corset and Cassia a crop top that left her midriff showing, also red.

When they stepped on the makeshift stage, which was basically some tables pushed together and transfigured into a stage, there were some squeals and wolf-whistles.

Cassia grabbed the microphone in the middle of the stage. "Good night, Hogwarts!" she called.

The classroom had been magically amplified to fit them all, since almost everybody from the three upper years had come and that made over a hundred people crammed there. They had put lights that changed colour and intensity with the mood and the music and there was a bar on one corner from where everybody could drink themselves to oblivion if they wished. Powerful silencing and repelling charms had been cast around the room to keep them from being heard and alarm charms were set in both ends of the corridor to warn them if a teacher came by.

The lights flickered when most of the room screamed a greeting back at her.

"Alright, Hogwarts, our darling Head Boy told us to tell you that the glasses you've been given at the beginning are charmed so that you won't lose them. They will always appear at your hand when you think of them."

"THIS IS BRILLIANT!" someone in the crowd screamed.

Cassia laughed. "Personally I think it's because he was too lazy to buy more glasses."

"Don't reveal my secrets, Black!" Bill called from his spot on a sofa near the back of the room.

Cassia saluted him. "So, ready for some music?"

They cheered.

"Ready for some fun?"

They cheered even louder.

"Alright, then! We are _Second Impressions_," Dora took her cue to start playing on the piano the first notes to _The Dark Princess of Hufflepuff_. "So how about you take another look?"

The crowd went wild.

.

.

They managed to play fifteen songs but, after song number ten Bill and Charlie convinced them to take a shot each time they began a song. By song number fifteen they weren't really doing their best to play and Bill turned on the radio.

"Come on!" he tugged her down the stage. "Let me get you a drink."

"_Another one_?"

He laughed. "The party has just started, Cassia."

"You really are a bad influence."

Bill filled her glass with something he refused to tell her the contents off and disappeared to mingle with the crowd. Her legs felt like jelly after all the time she had spent in that stage singing and dancing and jumping, so she went on search of an armchair she had spotted early in the party.

It was already occupied but Jessica Harris was willing to share. It was a tight fit and Jess' body was pressed against Cassia's.

"You were amazing," she said.

Cassia nodded and tried to speak but her throat was suddenly very dry. Jess was a pretty girl, with long wavy blonde hair, green eyes and a whole pattern of freckles on her cheeks and over her nose. She was wearing her hair up in a high queue, which left her neck free. The top she was wearing was low enough it showed part of her shoulders.

There were freckles there.

Cassia took a long sip of her drink.

"So, which is your favourite song?"

There, that sounded normal.

"Well," Jess flushed. Her cleavage also turned red. "I love that you guys sing _muggle _songs. Queen is like my favourite band and Tonks makes a great Joan Jett. But I have to admit _The Dark Princess of Hufflepuff_ is very catchy."

"Which one is your Queen favourite?"

They finished their drinks there in that armchair and Cassia, in a stroke of genius, summoned a bottle of tequila from the bar.

"Have you ever heard of tequila shots?" Jess asked her.

Even if Cassia hadn't, Bill clearly had because when she casted _accio_ a plate with lemon slices and a salt shaker came flying towards them.

Jess showed her how to 'properly' take the shots, even if they didn't have any shot glasses and they drank straight from the bottle. Cassia felt her eyes on her the whole time.

"What? Did I mess it up that bad?"

"I used to have a crush in you," Jess blurted out instead.

Cassia smirked. "You did?" she asked with elation.

"Back in first year," Jess nodded. "It had disappeared by second year but still…" the look on her eyes told her that some part of it remained. Maybe.

Cassia settled more comfortably. It was one of those reclining chairs that, when tilted back, had a footrest appearing out of somewhere. Somehow, during the curse of the night, they had ended up with Jess sitting normally and Cassia with her back to the armrest, her legs swung over Jess and her feet hanging to the side. She leaned her side on the backrest and Jess turned her head so she could keep looking at her. Their faces were now awfully close.

Jess licked her lips and Cassia felt herself licking hers in response. "Did you know there's another way of doing tequila shots?"

"Yeah?" why did her voice sound so breathless?

Jess nodded and, with dark eyes, leaned forward. Her lips found Cassia's neck. They were warm and soft and when her tongue came out to lick her, a shiver ran through her body.

Cassia's breath caught and she gulped loudly.

Jess leaned back and a part of the Hufflepuff cried at the loss of contact. But then the other girl shook some salt over the patch of skin she'd just licked and Cassia's stomach clenched.

The swipe of Jess' tongue was excruciatingly slow. Cassia wanted it to stop. Cassia didn't want it to ever stop. With quick gestures the blonde girl chugged down a gulp of tequila and bit on the lemon.

Jess spat out the lemon and looked up at her, her eyes almost defiant.

Cassia lurched forward and kissed her.

Her first kiss, her only kiss, had been a quick peck with Kyle Hill back in her second year.

This was nothing like it.

Her mouth landed on Jess' which parted open beneath her. Their tongues met. It was wet and warm and Cassia didn't really know what to do. But then Jess' tongue caressed hers, slowly, suggestively, and Cassia copied her.

A heat sparkled on her lower stomach. She needed to get closer, she needed more.

Cassia broke the kiss and Jess whined, trying to follow her lips. "Wait," she breathed. "Wait one second."

She moved to sit on her knees, each leg on one side of Jess' tights. Then she captured the other girl's lips with her own once again, her hands on her neck.

Jess arched beneath her and their breasts rubbed together. Cassia gasped into her mouth, making Jess' smirk. Cassia bit her bottom lip in retaliation, slowly dragging her teeth over the pink skin until she ran out of lip.

Jess gave out a low moan that fuelled the fire running through her veins. It made her feel powerful.

The other girl broke the kiss, their ragged breaths brushing each other's mouths, and her kisses travelled from her chin, to her jaw to her neck. And, oh, Merlin, did that feel wonderful.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. When the two girls ignored it, the rude person poked at Cassia's shoulder.

The girl tore herself away from Jess, her eyes sparkling with irritation and making her seem more like a Black than ever. "What?" she growled.

Eli took a step backwards, cowering. "Don-Don is throwing up," she stammered.

Cassia sighed and started disentangling herself from Jess. The blonde girl grabbed her wrist, her wide eyes screaming '_What are you doing_?'

"I can't leave him there," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow," she promised.

And she followed Eli through the mass of people until they finally found Don sitting against the wall and groaning. Dora and Gina were with him, looking a mix between amused and disgusted.

"Let's get him out of here," said Cassia.

Cassia grabbed Don by one arm and slung it over her shoulders. Dora did the same on the other side and together they dragged him out of the party.

"We'll be in the prefect's bathroom cleaning him up a bit," Cassia told the other two. "Go find Charlie and send him there. Someone will have to help him get to the common room without getting caught."

Eli nodded. "Good luck. And I'm sorry about… earlier," she grimaced.

At Gina and Dora's confused expressions Cassia explained herself. "Because of him she interrupted a pretty great snogging session with Jessica Harris."

"I didn't know you liked girls," Dora told her.

Cassia grinned at her, almost feral. "Neither did I."

Her cousin laughed loudly.


	11. We run free

**Here I am, trying to keep up with the updates. How's it going?**

**This is kinda of a companion chapter for the last one.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing you can recognize belongs to me.**

**We run free.**

"I'm here! I'm not late! I'm here!"

Jess glanced up from the essay she was in the middle of writing. By the books surrounding her, Cassia guessed it was Potions. She kissed her girlfriend and sprawled her things over the table.

"We need to talk."

Cassia sat down. "I'm not _that_ late."

The blonde shook her head with a tiny smile. "No, it's not that," she turned serious. "Look, it's… We've been dating for over two months now."

It was now mid-November. The first months of the year had gone by swimmingly. Even if she had been swamped with homework (she thought with the OWLS done, she could be able to breathe, but it seemed she was wrong) and band practice she had still tried to make some time apart to spend with Jess. They had gone on a couple of dates, snogged on hidden corners and found a perfect spot in one of the greenhouses for… other stuff.

It was on the Halloween party on the fifth floor, that Cassia finally kidnapped the other girl and properly had her way with her on the Prefect's bathroom. It was like a damn had burst and they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other since that night.

She wasn't the only one to have some fun that night. Dora had been moaning that she would never get to kiss anybody because she was a mess and everybody was creeped up by her and her metamorphmagus abilities. So they pumped her up with Firewhisky and threw her towards Uriah Tyler, sixth year Gyrffindor, whom she spent an hour snogging.

"You Blacks are crazy," Charlie had told them shaking his head.

He would never see the appeal of randomly starting kissing people.

After Halloween they had a couple of picnics on the Astronomy Tower, the designated "Most Romantic Spot" in all of Hogwarts. They had asked around and managed to 'casually' be the ones to do the rounds together those nights.

"Fool-proof plan to not get caught," Cassia had smirked at her over her glass of butterbeer that first time. "Be the one in charge to catch people."

Jess had laughed and leaned in for a kiss that Cassia had been all too happy to give.

"Yes," Cassia said. "I know. I've been here."

The blonde let out a loud breath. "Look, I like you very much. Like a lot. But I can't help feeling like… this is just some way to have fun for you."

"That's not-"

Jess raised one hand. "Please," she begged. "Just let me… I could fall for you very easily," she said in the end. "But you won't. You'll just break my heart."

"Jess…"

"Don't deny it," Jessica shook her head. "You're charming and beautiful and funny and smart. And you could hurt me a lot. That's why I want to break up, before it gets too dangerous, you know?"

Cassia understood and that was why she couldn't fault her. "We can still be friends, can't we?"

Jess smiled. "I do need someone to help me with Charms."

And even if Cassia hadn't cared for Jessica the way the other girl had done for her, she still felt somewhat heartbroken.

.

.

"She was taking a lot of time from you," Gina noted without looking up from Arithmancy book.

Gina was crazy and she had decided to stick with Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and History of Magic for her sixth year. Cassia thought she was a bit of a masochist.

"You want to be a journalist, anything could have worked," Don had told her with wide eyes when he heard of her timetable.

Gina had scoffed. "I want to make a good impression," she'd said. The 'unlike you' had been left hanging in the air.

Don had gone on a completely different path, choosing Defence, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms and _Muggle _Studies. He'd said he wasn't going to ruin his last years at Hogwarts drowning in homework.

"You're crazy getting so many subjects," he had said. "Even Nick has gone with only four."

The aspiring _quidditch_ player had decided to spend more time training than studying. Still his chosen subjects (Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy and Herbology) were not ones to be taken lightly.

"Yeah," Cassia had seconded. "You're crazy."

Don had scoffed. "You're the one to talk. You've got as many as she does."

"Oh!" Cassia had flushed. "Right."

But it wasn't like she had wanted them. Charms, Defence, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration were all required to work in the healing career and similar ones. And, well, she liked Ancient Runes.

"She didn't take _that _much time," she scoffed.

Gina looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. Cassia blushed.

"I don't understand what she could have to say that made her so interesting."

Nick snorted. "_Say_," he repeated with sarcasm.

Cassia blushed and threw her quill at him.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"So, how's this year going?" Regulus asked. "Drowning in homework?"

Cassia recalled the previous night, the last night at Hogwarts before the Christmas break. She had spent it in a party in the Gryffindor room, only sixth years and up, invited by Bill and Don. Don had ended up doing body shots out of a seventh year girl and they had started snogging right there in front of everybody. Kids smoked, everybody was drunk and Cassia was pretty sure there was some weed going around.

"A bit," she said with an impeccably straight face. "You know, the usual."

Regulus laughed softly. "Oh, it seems like I spent all my sixth year holed up inside the library," he shook his head smiling. "Sometimes I even miss it."

"Well, I don't."

Her brother laughed again. "You will," he assured. "Oh, I spent a lot of time in that place. The Slytherin common room wasn't very welcoming and by that year Marcus Rosier had gotten a girlfriend and he kept bringing her up to our bedroom at all times," he rolled his eyes. "Hogwarts is a school, not a whorehouse."

Cassia pressed her lips together and nodded solemnly. "So…" she moved her peas around the plate. "You didn't have any girlfriends while you were at Hogwarts?"

"Of course not!" Regulus scoffed. "I wasn't there to meet girls. I wasn't Sirius. Besides, the only acceptable ones I knew since we were little kids and I couldn't see them like that. Although there was this one time…"

Cassia leaned forward, her interest picked. "What?"

"Well… I have told you about Professor Slughorn and his Slug club, haven't I?"

She nodded. Most of the time she was very grateful that Professor Slughorn had retired because she knew he would have absolutely wanted her in his Club. But then she remembered Snape had replaced him and she wasn't so sure.

"Well, I took Peony Parkinson to one of those parties one time. There was a lot of champagne flowing around and afterwards we may or may not have kissed for a while behind a tapestry on our way to the common room. And we may or may not have been caught by the Head Boy, James Potter."

That brought a laugh out of her. "You only snogged one girl and you were _caught_?"

"I wasn't there to find girls!" he complained. Then his eyes widened and he looked at her horrified. "What have you _done_ then?"

Cassia panicked. "Nothing!" she blushed. "Well… uh…" Regulus' started turning a bit green. "Have I ever told you about Kyle Hill?"

His eyes narrowed. "No."

"It's actually a very fun story," she assured. "And I got a trophy out of it."

She decided that it was probably best not to tell Regulus about her two month dalliance with a _muggleborn_ girl in which they had more than kissed a bit.

She didn't want to _kill_ him or something.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"You ready?"

Cassia nodded at Don. "I still think we should do more ballads," she said. "Valentine's Day is all about romance, after all."

"Valentine's Day was three days ago," noted Don.

She rolled her eyes. "But it was a Tuesday. We couldn't do a party then, could we? Bill said this is a 'Valentine's-Day-Was-Three-Days-Ago-But-Who-Cares' party."

Dora appeared out of nowhere and draped herself over Cassia's arm. "They are so sickeningly cute I want to kill them and then myself," she announced. "Wotcher, Cassia, Don," she said in an afterthought

The three of them looked back to where Eli was talking softly with Jamie Parker, sixth year Hufflepuff and also her boyfriend.

The relationship was very new. They had gotten together after the break, when Eli had gotten into a fight with some Gryffindor girls in the middle of the hallway. Jamie had been walking by and he got her out of there.

They had gotten talking and one thing led to another and…

They were now on that stupid phase where it seemed they couldn't be one step away from the other.

"Ugh," was all Don said. "Fawley!" he called. "Move it! We have a concert to play, remember?"

Eli sent them a glare that disappeared when she went back to look at her boyfriend. Her three friends and bandmates made gagging sounds loud enough that she heard. The girl huffed and stomped towards them.

"Okay," she said. "Let's get this show over with."

Cassia was the first one on the stage and she grabbed the microphone. "Who wants to make this a great night?"

The crowd shouted at her and the lights, always in tune with the general mood and the music, flickered. She smiled.

"So, you all know why we're here, right?" she asked. There were hums of agreement and a couple of people shouted that they had no idea. "Well, we're here because Valentine's Day was on Tuesday so we couldn't do anything and it seems our darling Head Boy took McGonagall's orders of 'make sure you deepen interhouse relations' way too seriously."

There was a general laugh.

"I don't see you complaining, Black," the darling Head Boy called from the back of the room.

"I might if I have to keep paying for all this alcohol," she said. "I don't know if my liver can stand any more, either."

"Nobody is making you drink it," he said.

The crowd ooohed.

"And letting _you_ drink it all?" she scoffed. "No way! Besides," she grinned. "you're the Head Boy, you should be the responsible one here and not drink if anything."

Everybody laughed at that and Cassia quirked her eyebrow at the redhead. From his spot against the wall Bill laughed and raised his glass, downing it all in one go.

"And that's what I think about responsibility!" he said.

Cassia gasped with faked outrage. "Oh, my, Mr. Head Boy!" she fanned herself then grabbed her guitar, strumming it. "What about you reputation?"

Eli caught on fast both her intention with her words and the music coming from her guitar. She joined her with a fast tempo.

Bill caught her eye and grinned. "I don't care!"

Dora grabbed her mic. "_I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation!_" she sang.

The crowd exploded.

.

.

After a few songs they put on the radio and the band went to mingle. Eli disappeared with Jamie in 0.1 seconds and Don and Dora joined Nick and Charlie, who was trying to get Gina drunk for once.

"You go steal a bottle of something from the bar," Don told Cassia.

She saluted him. "Yes, sir!"

There was an unopened bottle of gin which, even if it wasn't Cassia's favourite drink, she believed would do nicely. She was about to go join her friends when someone stole the bottle from her hands.

"I thought you said your poor liver could keep up anymore," Bill mocked her, opening the bottle to take a swing.

Cassia stole it back just before he could and took one herself instead. "I also said I wasn't going to let you drink it all."

He pouted. "You aren't even going to share?"

"Are you any good at sharing, Bill Weasley?" Cassia cocked one eyebrow.

"I have six siblings. I'm the worst at sharing."

_I was hungry for love, I was hungry for fun._

"You're not making a very compelling case for me to share this with you," she told him.

He leaned in closer, his eyes dark, a smirk in place. "Should I?"

"That depends on how much you want it," her tongue traced her teeth and she saw his eyes flicker down to her mouth for a second.

His smirk disappeared. Her stomach clenched.

_This is the time we've got to get it right._

"Oh I want it very much," he told her lowly. They both knew they weren't talking about the bottle of gin anymore.

"Still," she breathed out. "Not a very compelling case."

They were so close she could feel his hot breath on her lips. Her knees didn't seem like they would support her for much longer.

His hand found her waist and pulled her towards him. Since she was still wearing her 'concert outfit', a top that left her midriff exposed, that meant his warm hand found the skin of her back in an instant. Her breath caught.

"Oh, I bet you'll see I can be very persuasive," he assured her his eyes roving over her.

Cassia felt incensed, aflame. His gaze set her on fire, his blue eyes so dark and intent she knew he was undressing her on his mind.

_Touch me, touch me now._

His mouth was on hers before she could blink. Hot, harsh, insistent, burning her. A fire raged on her stomach and his tongue only feed the flames higher.

Her back found the coldness of a wall; she hadn't even realized they had been moving. He bit her bottom lip and something growled inside of her. He nipped at her jaw, her neck. His teeth tugged at her earlobe.

Cassia felt as if she was ready to burst. The fire inside of her burned so hot she feared it was going to consume her whole.

The hand on her waist pulled her close. Another snuck under her shirt and palmed her breast. She bucked, her hips rubbing his.

She was going to explode any second now. Her fingers were in his hair. How? When? She didn't question it just tugged.

Bill moaned against her neck and bit just a little harder. Her body convulsed.

"Bill," she tugged harder, getting him away from her. "We need to get out of here."

His eyes were clouded. "What?"

"_We need to get out of here!_" she stressed.

Comprehension dawned. "Are you sure?" he asked looking suddenly clear-headed.

Cassia glared at him even if at that moment her heart grew fonder with admiration and some respect. "Yes," she growled instead. "Very, _very_ sure."

And Bill took her to his room.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Cassia and Bill weren't a couple.

They didn't hold hands or kissed in hallways. He didn't wait for her after class or walked her to Transfiguration so he could carry her books.

They didn't have dates on the Astronomy Tower or snuck to the kitchens for dinner. They didn't study together nor talked about their feeling or the future.

But if Cassia was stressed about homework and Bill happened to be around she could sent him a look and ten seconds later he would have her pressed against the shelves of some dark part of the library, swallowing her cries and making her see stars.

And if she happened to be walking around the _quidditch _pitch while they trained and he saw her he would smirk at her and she knew that meant "stay." And then, after everybody had left the changing rooms, they would make each other scream under the hot spray of the shower or over the benches or even against the lockers.

Or if by some miraculous reason she happened to be bored and all of her friends were busy she would go look for him and find him easily. With just one look at her he would know and without another word they would find the nearest abandoned classroom or hidden passage or even the prefects bathroom and make the other forget their own name.

And if they happened to be in another party and ended up dancing together, well, who was to notice if they disappeared for a while to come back looking flushed and dishevelled but altogether satisfied?

She wasn't in love with him and he wasn't in love with her. Nor did she want him to be.

When Cassia sent a letter to Dahlia asking for an after-day potion she almost received a howler. The woman was disappointed, she wrote, and Cassia should have known better. It came with the asked potion so Cassia couldn't complain much.

Then she sent another letter, asking if maybe she could get some contraceptive potions. Maybe Dahlia would even teach her the spell.

Dahlia went a bit overboard on that part. She sent over thirty potions –what did she expect Cassia to _do_?– and a thousand questions about the lucky man. She sent tips and tricks to have a better sex life and Cassia almost burned the letter.

(She didn't and some of them actually turned out to be pretty helpful).

When Cassia asked her why she had been so angry when she had asked for a potion the first time but the second time she was perfectly fine with it, Dahlia told her that she hadn't been mad that Cassia was having sex. She just had been mad that she was having unprotected sex.

Mostly because the girl wanted to go into obstetrics and they took things like that very seriously in that field.

Cassia had written back that if Dahlia taught her the contraceptive spell she wouldn't have to worry anymore. Dahlia had told her they would talk it over the summer when her brother was way too busy.

«_I don't fancy being burned alive, thank you very much_» she had written.

.

.

Charlie caught them one day in the library and it seemed like his brain had broken.

"You're dating my brother?" he accused her.

"Oh, no!" she grimaced. "Merlin, no."

"No, no, no, no," Bill energetically shook his head.

Charlie looked at them like they had lost their minds.

"It's just sex," Cassia clarified. "Pretty good sex, though."

Bill nodded. "Mind-blowing."

"But just sex," she finished.

Charlie looked a bit green. "Somehow that just makes it worse."

Bill laughed and clapped him in the back.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**I've checked and Bill and Cassia are not like cousins or anything. Cassia's aunt is (by marriage) Molly's aunt. But they are still probably related somehow so we're not gonna look too closely at that.**

**Also, it's only temporary.**

**The song is **_**Touch Me (I Want Your Body)**_** by Samantha Fox which came out in 1986, for them a couple years past.**

**Review?**

**MW.**


	12. Heartbreaks

**Look at me, keeping up with the updating *pats herself in the back*.**

**Thank you all for favoriting and following and reviewing! You're awesome.**

**Disclaimer: You know it already.**

**Heartbreaks.**

"You and _Bill_?" Don couldn't seem to wrap his mind around it.

"They say they're not together, that it's just sex," said Charlie.

Dora eyed her cousin up and down and smirked. "Good job, sister!"

With an amused smile Cassia high-fived the metamorphmagus. It was the first sunny morning in a while and they had decided to spend it outside underneath their tree.

Eli looked at the redhead. "How long have you known?"

"I caught them doing it in the library about a month ago," he said.

Everyone's eyes widened. "Wait!" cried Dora. "How long has this been going on then?"

Cassia wrapped a lock of hair around her finger, avoiding their looks. "Do you remember that Saint-Valentine's-Day-Was-Days-Ago-But-We-Don't-Care party?"

"You two have been shagging since _February_?"

"Maybe?"

Dora gaped at her. "It's almost June!"

"Were you planning on telling us?" Don looked hurt.

Given that she was telling them only because Dora had caught her coming back to the common room with her clothes all rumpled up, a Gryffindor tie and a hickey, she knew that the answer was probably no. So she shrugged instead.

Bill had his N.E.W.T's coming up and he was awfully stressed. Cassia was all too happy to give him a way to release his frustration.

"Well… now you know," she tried a smile. "Please, don't make a big deal out of this. We're just messing around."

Dora leaned forward, her elbows on her tights. "So? How is he in bed?"

Charlie covered his ears. "I don't think I want to know that."

Cassia laughed. "There's a reason why we're still shagging after months together," and she winked at the other girl.

Dora cackled and her hair turned a reddish-pink. At Cassia's side, Gina ripped at the grass, crushing it in her hand.

"I can't believe you weren't going to tell us," but the way she said it told her that she didn't want to say 'us' but 'me' instead.

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Cassia answered slowly.

Gina scoffed. "Of course it's not a big deal. You have just spent four months shagging a guy and it's not a big deal."

"Gin-"

Gina stood up. "I thought best friends were supposed to share this stuff. Guess I was wrong." And she stormed off to the castle.

"Gina!" she called after her but the girl was already too far away.

Around her all her friends did their best to not look at her. Cassia looked at the castle's doors and sighed.

Dora grabbed her hand to bring her back. "So, I want details," she urged.

"Oh, _mon amour_," Cassia smirked. "Your pretty mind is far too innocent for details."

Charlie groaned and threw wisps of grass at her.

Cassia laughed and ignored the churning on her stomach, very resolutely not looking back towards the castle.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

"I hate you," Nick looked ready to hang himself.

Don grinned. He was wearing an 'I (heart) Nick Warringon' T-shirt two sizes too small.

Nick had started getting attention once he joined the _quidditch _team. Then he had made Captain and that attention had tripled. Girls all around fawned over his Beater muscles and his brooding stance and mysterious charm.

Nick, obviously, didn't pay attention to any of them, but that only seemed to make them obsess with him even more.

They formed a Nick Warrington fanclub and called themselves, the Ravens. They went to every match and cheered for him. Very loudly.

They even made T-shirts, much to Don's delight.

"I think it suits me rather well, don't you think Cassia?" he asked. "It brings out my eyes."

Cassia bit her lip trying to swallow back her laughter. Nick's scowl just deepened.

They were in the middle of a goodbye party. Exams were over, O. and N.E.W.T's too for the fifth and seventh years and there was an overall feeling of relief all around.

This party was on the grounds, on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, which made it even more epic. As always dozens of charms had been put all around to ensure safety but Cassia suspected the Headmaster already knew.

She had crossed paths with him that afternoon, on her way to Hogsmeade to get the alcohol from Madam Rosmerta. He had winked at her and told her he'd been told that night it would be a beautiful night. And then he had left.

Sometimes Cassia seriously wondered how that man had ended up as Headmaster of Hogwarts.

_Second Impressions_ wasn't playing that night, Dora had wanted to enjoy the party all the time and Eli had agreed with her.

Cassia suspected Eli just wanted to be with Jamie. They were still as sickeningly cute as they had been back in February. It warmed Cassia's heart a bit.

An arm covered her shoulders. "What's up, Black?" Bill's breath brushed her ear. "Having some fun?"

She turned a bit so she could look up at him and grinned coyly. "I could be having _more_ fun."

Don gagged, Nick made a face and Bill laughed. "Maybe it's a bit too early for that," he told her. "But I'll hold you to it."

She pouted at him so that he would kiss it of her lips. Which he did. Thoroughly. His arm dropped from her shoulder and went to her bum, pulling her closer to him. Hers laced behind his neck and toyed with his hair, just like he liked it.

They broke off trying to catch their breaths and Bill smiled at her. "I'm going to go mingle," he said and, after giving one last squeeze to her arse, he was gone.

Somewhat light-headed she grabbed Don's arm. She didn't trust her legs to hold her at the moment.

"I could have died without having to see that," he told her cheekily.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Where is everybody?" she said instead, not as breathlessly as she had dreaded.

Don shrugged. "Let's go have a look," he said tugging her behind him so she had no other option than to follow him.

They found Eli and Jamie sitting in front of a bonfire. They weren't kissing so it was safe to join them.

"Dora is over there," Eli told them when they asked her.

'Over there' turned out to be in the middle of a mass of boys who were all jumping around and screaming. They seemed to be in a circle, looking at someone in the middle. Cassia would bet Helios that it was Dora in the middle.

"What's going on over there?" Don stood on his tiptoes to get a better look.

Eli snorted. "Some guys offered Tonks two galleons for kissing Violet Blishwick," Violet Blishwick was a seventh-year Gryffindor and also the fittest girl at Hogwarts.

"I guess she took it," Cassia looked back at the mass of boys.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Of course she did. Then they both seemed to really get into it and…" she gestured towards the crowd. "I guess it must run in the family," she added looking at Cassia.

The Black snorted. "Guess it does."

.

.

Charlie cornered them after a while, his eyes wide with panic. "Help!" he said. "Bill wants to play a _muggle _game and wants me on it."

"Oooh!" Don looked away from the fire. "What game?"

"A kissing game called 'Spin the Bottle'" Charlie shuddered.

Don light up. "Spin the Bottle?" he smiled. "I haven't played in _ages_!" he stood up. "Come on, dragon boy, we're playing," and he grabbed him in a one armed hug by the neck. "You two, too," he added in Nick and Cassia's direction. "You're not missing it. Eli," he nodded at her. "I know you won't do it and I can't make you. But us, bachelors… _Come on_!"

And so they went to play that _muggle _game.

Dora and Bill were already there with over a dozen of their classmates. When he saw them Bill hooted and made everybody move so that they could fit too. Cassia squeezed between Dora and Nick with Don on Nick's other side.

"Have you seen Gina?" she whispered to the, at the moment, turquoise haired girl.

Both girls hadn't talked much since Gina had stormed off during Cassia's confession about her relationship with Bill Weasley. True, they had had exams right after that, but Gina had been especially cold towards her oldest friend.

Dora chortled. "Have _I _seen her? She's over there," she gestured towards where their clearing meet the Forbidden Forest. "Giving it her all with Violet Blishwick?"

"Come again?"

If she squinted she could see two figures against a tree, one blonde and the other brunette. But that couldn't be Gina.

"It was a bit unfair," Dora explained. "There I was, snogging Violet fucking Blishwick when Gina pushed through all the guys there. I could have done without them, actually, but I have two galleons now, so… Anyway, I was there, and then Gina comes and scolds me for being with Violet. Then Violet goes and says something like 'What? Too scared to try, Fortescue?' And next thing I know is they're making out like there's no tomorrow. Then Bill found me and dragged me here."

"Oh," Cassia fought to find something to say. "Good for her."

Her stomach churned but she pushed it down. She was going to have _fun_.

She looked around and counted. 25 people: 13 girls and 12 guys. Most of them were Gryffindors, which made sense, with three Slytherins (a begrudging Nick one of them and the other two fifth years), two Ravenclaw seventh-year girls and nine Hufflepuffs.

Jess nodded at her from the other end of the circle, sitting between Amelia Johnson and Paul Brown, her best friends. Cassia nodded back.

"Alright!" Bill called the attention to him. "I bet most of you have never played _Spin the Bottle _so I will go firs to explain. So I spin the bottle," instead of getting up and spinning it, as Cassia guessed _muggles_ did, he threw a non-verbal twirling charm at the bottle floating over the grass, showing off.

The bottle spun and spun and spun, getting slower each time until it came to a stop.

"So, the head of the bottle points at the person I will have to kiss. In this case, the blonde Hufflepuff.

"Zinnia," said Zinnia fighting a blush.

Bill smirked at her. "Well, meet me in the middle, Zinnia."

They crawled to the middle of the circle and Bill grabbed her face and laid a big one on her. Everybody cheered.

Once Bill and Zinnia made it back to their respective spots the Head Boy spoke again. "Then the person left of Zinnia spins the bottle and its starts again."

There were murmurs of understanding. Charlotte, who was the one next to Zinnia spun and it landed on a Gryffindor seventh year called Lukas.

"But what if like it lands on a girl?" asked Pansy Meads, one of the Slytherin girls while Lukas and Charlotte went back to their places.

"Well, I _hope _it does," Aaron, who was supposed to spin next, said in a not-very-low whisper.

He got Dora and made a big show of sighing with relief. "You are a girl," he announced before kissing her breathless.

There were laughs all around and Pansy huffed.

Dora's hair turned as pink as her cheeks.

"That's not what I meant!" Pansy scowled.

Cassia sent the hex towards the bottle, strangely nervous. It twirled and twirled and twirled and… she let out a surprised laugh, meeting Jess' smile.

"That's what I meant!" Pansy pointed to Cassia and Jessica, who were crawling to meet each other in the middle. "What if it lands on someone of the same sex?"

People hesitated and Cassia shared a secretive smile with Jess.

"Well," she said. "If it lands on someone of the same sex, you can always do this," and she leaned forward to kiss her ex-girlfriend straight on the lips.

Jessica was waiting for it and she opened her mouth so that their tongues could meet. Cassia rose on her knees and her hands found that blonde hair, pulling her closer.

They broke apart when the hoots, cheers and whistles became too loud.

"Yes, please," Aaron called. "Do that."

The game went on for a while. Bill got called to help some guys who were throwing up and the eight other seventh years disappeared after that. Charlie saw his chance for freedom and took it without a second thought. Without the somewhat imposing presence of the older students, the atmosphere relaxed.

"Alright, alright!" Dora spun the bottle.

It landed on Cassia who grimaced.

"I won't kiss you!" Dora looked just as scandalized. "Sorry, but I'm not into incest."

There were murmurs of agreement.

"You have to kiss Warrington, then," said Pansy with a frown. It wasn't very difficult to guess why Pansy and Magenta had joined the game.

Dora made a face. Nick didn't seem very elated either. They kissed quickly and without really moving from their spots so Cassia had a front-row seat of the whole deal.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep in a week," she told them with a grimace.

Don was laughing when he spun the bottle, terribly amused by the whole thing. His smile faded when he saw the tip of the bottle pointing straight to Garrick Berrow.

Somehow Don had been able to not pick or get picked by any guys. It seemed his luck had run out.

He looked thoughtful as he made his way to the middle of the circle to wait for Garrick. The other boy was already blushing and looked apologetic. He landed a quick peck on the Gryffindor and was turning around before they could all blink.

Don grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him midway.

"That," he said shaking his head. "Is not a kiss." And he leaned forward to show the Hufflepuff boy what a kiss really looked like.

Cassia even saw some tongue.

Everybody gaped at them.

When they broke apart Garrick was even redder, doing a fabulous impression of a tomato. Don, though, looked smug and a little surprised. They looked at each other for a second, then…

"Well…" Cassia looked at the two kissing boys. "He doesn't seem very bothered by it."

"Get a room!" Dora hollered.

And Don tugged Garrick not towards a room but towards the forest. Which was probably the same thing.

There was a moment of silence as everybody processed it. Nick stood up, his hands clenched tight, and walked away.

Cassia glanced at Dora, who nodded, and ran after him.

.

.

"He's messing it up."

Cassia and Nick were in the Prefects bathroom. The boy was gripping at the overflowing sink while he looked in the mirror.

Cassia stood behind him, her eyes catching his in the mirror. "What?"

"He's not supposed to like guys."

It was amazing how a lone sentence could break Cassia's heart so much. "_Oh, Nick…_"

"He's- I- He-" the boy struggled with the words. Cassia put a hand on his back to comfort him. "He's not supposed to like boys," he said again. "He can't."

Cassia's vision became blurry and she tried to hold her tears back. But it was hard when she could see one of her best friends suffering like that. She sneaked her hands under his arms and hugged his chest, hiding her face on his back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

Nick laughed bitterly. "Me too."

.

.

"Are you going to tell him?"

Cassia had snuck to the kitchens to get something to eat. It happened to be strawberries with chocolate, which at least brought a smile out of the brooding boy.

"Wooing me, Black?" he'd asked with a smirk.

"You wish," she had told him trying to hide her smile. She hadn't been very successful but Nick had always been capable to see straight through her anyway.

Nick snorted at her question and it was answer enough. They were sitting on the edge of the pool, their feet bare so they could keep them in the water.

Yes, they had filled a whole pool just to put their feet there.

"Maybe he feels the same," Cassia told him. "You'll never know if you don't tell him," she urged him.

Nick just rolled his eyes so Cassia threw him a strawberry. He caught her with his mouth with made her angry and impressed at the same time.

"So you're just going to keep lying to him?" she frowned.

"'s not _lying_," he scoffed.

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "He doesn't ask because he doesn't know to ask. You're keeping the truth for him nonetheless."

"Would you?"

Cassia wanted to say yes; of course she would tell one of her friends that she was in love with them if that ever came to pass. But something kept her mouth from forming the words.

"I don't know. I guess?"

"You wouldn't," he assured her.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she sighed. "What are you going to do, then?"

Nick shrugged. "Nothing special."

They remained in silence for a long while, staring at the mermaid in the window and slowly eating strawberries.

"Who else knows?" she asked.

"Gina," he said. "Probably Dora."

Cassia gasped with faked outrage. "You told Gina before you told me? All those days spent together in the manor… I thought you loved me!"

Nick pushed her into the pool.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O

Eli looked at the hungover faces with different states of disarray in the compartment and snorted.

"What the hell happened last night? When Jamie and I left you were still fine."

Dora was all too happy to share. "Well, first of all dear Gina here went and stole Violet fucking Blishwick from me."

Eli raised an eyebrow at that in Gina's direction. The other girl just grumbled and stared at the window.

"Then, Bill found me and got me to join a Spin the Bottle game."

Charlie scoffed at that. "Stupid game," he muttered.

"So Don did manage to get you there," Eli seemed amused. "What do you have against kissing anyway?"

He scowled. "I don't know… I just don't see the appeal."

"And he does it even less after Magenta Rowle got his hands all over him," Don snickered. "Your face!"

Charlie shuddered and Cassia felt a bit bad for him and decided to steer the conversation away from him.

"So, after you went to sleep like a _grandma_," she teased. "and while we were there spinning the bottle."

"That sounds like an euphemism for sex," said Dora.

Cassia elbowed her. "While we were playing –shut up!–, some guys threw up and Bill had to go save them so all the seventh-years disappeared. Charlie with them. Then Dora and Nick kissed."

Don snickered at that. Dora glared at him.

"Then Don had to kiss Garrick Berrow and he liked it so much he took him to the woods," Dora said in a rush. "What did you do, Don? You showed him the stars?"

Don blushed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Does sitting hurt?"

"_Dora!_"

Her cousin just grinned impish. "Well, does it?"

Don refused to answer.

Eli huffed a laugh. "I can't believe I'm the only straight person in this group."

Dora battled her eyelashes at her. "Are you sure you're straight?"

"I've seen you drool all over your Transfiguration's homework with a snout instead of a mouth," Eli told her. "You're not shifting me."

Don raised his hands, looking more composed already. "No, hang on," he said. "Wait a minute. Nick is straight."

"No, he's not," said Gina.

"No, he's not," Cassia smiled apologetically at Nick.

Nick looked at Don.

"No, he's not."

(No, he wasn't).

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Do you know that meme about That One Straight FriendTM? Eli is That One Straight Friend. This chapter and the two previous ones happened just so I could have this last scene.**

**Also, who was expecting the **_**Drama**_**?**

**MW.**


End file.
